Member of terror cell plotting Temple Mount attack arrested by Israel. Photo courtesy of ISA
Israel has prevented an ISIS terrorist cell from launching another shooting attack on the Temple Mount patterned after the deadly assault last July, which killed two Israeli Police officers and set off a wave tensions and conflict over the holy site. And that’s not the only religious violence prevented: Members of the ISIS cell had also thought about attacking churches and synagogues as well, according to the investigation by the Israeli Security Agency (ISA).
The three terrorists who were plotting the attacks were apprehended in January and February, according to an ISA press release that announced the arrests on Monday. The ISA said the Temple Mount shooting attack was prevented “thanks to precise intelligence information that led to the timely arrest of the cell members even before they managed to procure weapons.”
The investigation found that two of the three cell members “support the murderous cheap phentermine online pharmacy ideology of the Islamic State [ISIS] terrorist organization and sought to perpetrate attacks in the context of this support.” ISIS is known for inspiring grassroots terror cells around the world, and like this group, that includes some Arabs in Israel.
In addition to the holy site violence, this cell had contemplated attacks over the Christmas holiday, vehicle attacks, and attacks on security forces.
While the cell members were technically Israeli Arabs, the ISA made it clear that Israel doesn’t tolerate ISIS-affiliates in their country.
“The ISA views Israelis that support Islamic State as a grave threat especially those who are in contact with the organization and operate on its behalf inside the State of Israel,” said the press release.
“The ISA will continue to monitor suspects and take the necessary enforcement measures to thwart both the spread of Islamic State ideology in Israel and the carrying out of any actions whatsoever that harm the security of the state.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, February 26, 2018)