Two Palestinians were indicted last Sunday for attempting to join ISIS and plotting mass shootings for Israel’s 72nd Independence Day in late April 2020. The suspects, Ahmad Ja’abis, 21, and Basel Abidat, 19, had planned to terrorize Jerusalem’s Safra Square and the Sultan’s Pool area with widespread gun violence during Independence Day celebrations, reported JNS.org. If they couldn’t purchase firearms, they planned to stab pedestrians instead. They also considered attacking an Israeli military base in the Jordan Valley. They studied instructions for building explosive devices and rockets via online military information posted by ISIS, to which the suspects were accused of raising and transferring $580.
Thanks to the indictment of the two young men, a potential disaster is nothing more than a bad dream. Israel’s law enforcement once again has proven why it’s among the best the world has to offer. Still, it’s chilling to know that haters of Israel can find information from ISIS readily available online. ISIS can share the knowledge and ability to create terrorists too easily, and it starts with just a seed of ideology placed in young minds. That reality is another reminder of the good work Israel’s police force has done to stamp out some frightening threats. Barring any more attack plans, Israel’s Independence Day this April can be the happy time of joy and thankfulness it is every year.
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