Seven Israeli citizens from Arab communities have been charged with plotting an Islamic State-inspired attack on police stations, military facilities and even liquor stores inside Israel, Fox News reported.
The indictments were reportedly brought to the Nazareth District Court after the Shin Bet, Israel's internal intelligence agency, foiled a planned shooting attack on a police station and an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base in northern Israel through a joint operation with the northern division of the Israeli police.
"This was a major investigation and the arrests were made several weeks ago in a joint undercover operation," Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Fox News.
"We know they had tracked police movements in the area and had also tracked IDF bases in the area, so we know they were planning an attack. We know that they were connected ideologically and were in contact through the Internet and that's why the arrests were made when there was concrete evidence of them planning an attack,'' he added
Rosenfeld said the foiled terror plot, which happened last month but reported only recently, is viewed as "significant" in Israel because it marked the first ISIS operation planned inside the Jewish state.
In its report, the Shin Bet said the accused had "created an ISIS cell with the intention of carrying out terror attacks.''
Three of the men—Mahmoud Ihaav Sarif, 22, from Nazareth; Ahmad Omer Hagana, 20, from Yafia; and Muhammad Hamad Gazal, 23, from Yafia—were reportedly slapped with serious charges as they have been contacting ISIS members in Syria and have agreed to strike at Israeli military targets rather than travel to Syria. The three also reportedly underwent weapons training in Hursha, using a Beretta firearm, said the report.
Three other men were also charged with selling weapons, possession of weapons and other criminal activity; while a seventh man, Ahmed Ahmad, 26, from Nazareth, is already serving a life sentence over the murder of taxi driver Yafim Weinstein in 2009. He is accused of helping coordinate the cell by mobile phone.
"During the interrogation by Shin Bet, the suspects admitted that during the last year they had been working to get weapons, train with them, and collect intelligence around an IDF base and police forces, and all of this in order to commit attacks under the flag of the Islamic State," the report stated.
The suspects also revealed plans to attack liquor stores in Nazareth, resenting the consumption of alcohol which is forbidden under Islamic law, Fox News said.
The Shin Bet gathered most of the critical information from one suspect's cell phone, including photos of ISIS combatants and weapons and a video demonstration of how to slit a throat, Fox News said.
