The State Attorney’s Office filed an indictment on Thursday at the Jerusalem District Court against Muhammad Shalabi, a 22-year-old pharmacy student from the Beit Hanina neighborhood of Jerusalem, charging him with preparing an act of terror amounting to murder and receiving terror training. According to the indictment, Shalabi plotted to execute large-scale attacks targeting security forces and Jewish civilians using lethal poisons and improvised explosive devices.
Court filings say Shalabi is a third-year pharmacy student who also worked as a pharmacy assistant. Prosecutors contend that he underwent radical ideological indoctrination following the events of October 7 and the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war, systematically consuming extremist propaganda associated with both Hamas and ISIS. He subsequently resolved to leverage his academic training and access to chemical compounds to formulate lethal weaponry.
In early 2025, enraged over municipal parking citations issued to worshippers near a local mosque in Beit Hanina, Shalabi initially plotted to plant an explosive device at the post frequently occupied by enforcement personnel. According to the indictment, he monitored their routines for two months. He downloaded bomb-making manuals from the internet, eventually abandoning the plan only after enforcement units ceased frequenting the specific location.
Thereafter, the indictment states, Shalabi transitioned to planning large-scale mass attacks intended to kill “crowds of Jews.” To advance his scheme, he joined terror-affiliated Telegram channels, including an ISIS channel, downloading dozens of technical files containing operational instructions for synthesizing explosives, constructing improvised bombs, and manufacturing deadly toxins.
The indictment further reveals that Shalabi transcribed into a notebook chemical formulas for manufacturing poisons capable of causing death via direct skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion. He also cataloged precursor materials he could procure to produce explosive compounds as part of his operational preparations.
According to prosecutors, Shalabi moved beyond information gathering into tangible operational steps. He traveled to Ramallah on two separate occasions to procure relevant chemical materials and laboratory hardware, intentionally splitting purchases across separate locations to avoid raising suspicion. He stored the acquired agents inside his bedroom.
Additionally, Shalabi conducted an experimental chemical test in the bathtub of his family residence, igniting a synthesized mixture to assess the reactivity of the substances in his possession. The indictment notes that he subsequently wiped operational files and search logs from his mobile device to obscure his illicit activities.
The indictment attributes charges of preparing an act of terror of murder and receiving unlawful attorney’s fees for terror purposes. Alongside the indictment, the State Attorney’s Office submitted an official petition requesting that the court order Shalabi remanded in custody until the completion of judicial proceedings against him.