On Thursday morning, two minors from Israel’s Triangle region were indicted on charges of conspiring to carry out terrorist activities against Israeli security forces.
The State Attorney Office indictment, filed in the Central District Court in Lod, revealed a complex plot involving recruitment, training and attempted bomb-making.
According to the indictment, one of the minors was recruited to a terrorist cell in August 2023. He allegedly received training in explosives and subsequently acquired chemical materials to conduct experiments. He then recruited three additional members, including the second minor in the indictment
Together, they allegedly engaged in various terrorism-related activities including watching instructional videos on TikTok about manufacturing explosives and carrying out attacks. The pair worked in collaboration with other cell members, attempted to make bombs, and demonstrated a clear intent to cause harm. The prosecution said this first minor played a key role in expanding the cell’s membership.
In preparation for their planned activities, the two minors reportedly equipped themselves with tactical vests and communication devices. They allegedly assigned “operational aliases” to cell members, indicating a level of organization typically associated with more established terrorist groups.
The indictment further alleges that the minors attempted to recruit even more people to their cause, successfully adding one more person to their ranks. Regular meetings were held in various locations to discuss the cell’s objectives and plans.
Given the severity of the charges and the potential threat to public safety, the State Attorney’s Office has requested that both minors remain in detention until the conclusion of legal proceedings. The prosecution emphasized the gravity of the situation, saying that the defendants’ actions “reflect their willingness to harm security forces.” It also noted that the timing of the offenses, occurring during the war, further intensifies the danger.
Since the start of the Iron Swords war 13 months ago, there has been a growing radicalization among some segments of Israel’s Arab population. A poll conducted in December 2023 by the Israel Democracy Institute’s Center for Democratic Values and Institutions found that one-third of Arab citizens disagree with the statement that Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre “does not reflect Arab society, the Palestinian people and the Islamic nation.”
At the beginning of October 2024, a 19-year-old Israeli Arab from Umm al-Fahm, an Arab-Israeli city in the Wadi Ara/Nahal Iron area, was apprehended by security forces after having allegedly sworn allegiance to ISIS and having planned to carry out terrorist attacks.
The Triangle region contains 11 Arab-Israeli communities adjacent to the Green Line and Samaria, and is home to approximately 250,000 people.
