The State Attorney’s Office filed an indictment Tuesday in Jerusalem District Court against five suspects from Jerusalem and the village of Kafr Aqab who allegedly formed a terror organization and planned attacks on Jews and security forces. The planned attacks included a shooting at a restaurant in Modiin and a shooting attack at the Azariya checkpoint. Prosecutors are asking the court to keep the suspects in custody until the end of their trial.
2+According to the indictment, filed by attorney Eyal Lidani of the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office, Rashid Rashak and Tzviah Abu Tzviah formed a terror organization at the beginning of the year. The two worked to recruit members, purchase weapons, collect funds, and locate safe houses. They planned to establish cells in northern and southern Judea and Samaria and prepare for a “day of command” in early 2027, when the organization would carry out terror and murder attacks.
As part of the operation, prosecutors allege, Rashak purchased a pistol, an M-16 rifle, ammunition, and additional equipment. Muhammad Abu Tzviah, who was recruited to the organization, held funds intended for its activities and helped hide equipment and locate a safe house for the weapons. The indictment also alleges that Muhammad Bakri instructed Rashak and Muhammad Abu Tzviah in preparing explosives after they told him about their intention to carry out terror activity.
2+According to the indictment, Rashak also recruited Ahmad Bakri, who worked at a restaurant in Modiin, and proposed that he carry out an attack there. To that end, he asked him to continue working at the restaurant even though he was looking for another job, and arranged to supply him with a weapon and vest and train him in using the weapon. In addition, Rashak and Tzviah Abu Tzviah planned to carry out a shooting attack against security forces at the Azariya checkpoint.
Prosecutors said the arrest of the suspects and additional individuals thwarted the organization’s activity and its plans to carry out attacks. The investigation was conducted over several weeks in cooperation with the Central Unit of the Jerusalem District and the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, and exposed and thwarted a terror infrastructure that planned to carry out attacks in the Jerusalem area.
2+The suspects are charged, each according to his role, with managing a terror organization, active membership in a terror organization, conspiracy and preparation for an act of terror involving murder under aggravated circumstances, weapons and property offenses for terror purposes, recruiting and attempting to recruit members to a terror organization, and additional offenses.
Attorney Eyal Lidani of the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office said: “This is an organization that purchased weapons, recruited operatives, and prepared to carry out attacks against civilians and security forces. One of the most serious details in the indictment is the request from one of the suspects to stay at his job at the restaurant, specifically when he was looking for another job, so that he could carry out an attack there. The daily familiarity with the workplace was meant to serve him in carrying out the planned attack.”