Two Arrested for ISIS Allegiance, Temple Mount Attack Plot

Israel's Shin Bet security service and the Northern District Police arrested two residents of northern Israel in early August on suspicion of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State terror organization and planning attacks against Israeli security forces. The suspects, a 16-year-old minor from the Galilee region and a 19-year-old from Haifa, are accused of plotting strikes at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and at an IDF military installation in the north. Indictments are expected to be filed today at the Haifa District Court.

According to a joint statement from police and Shin Bet spokespersons, the teenage suspect was taken into custody on August 4 after authorities discovered he had established contact with ISIS and sworn an oath of loyalty to the organization. During interrogation, investigators learned that beyond his pledge to the terror group, the minor had begun searching online for instructional content on constructing explosive belts. He reportedly intended to carry out an attack targeting Jewish police officers and soldiers at the Temple Mount, one of Jerusalem's most sensitive religious sites.

Several days after the minor's arrest, as the investigation progressed, authorities detained a second suspect, Ibrahim Kaabiya, 19, from Haifa, who is also accused of swearing allegiance to ISIS. Interrogation revealed that he had been planning an attack on an IDF base in northern Israel.

The Haifa District Prosecutor's Office will file indictments this morning along with a request to hold both suspects in custody until the conclusion of legal proceedings. Security officials emphasized that they view with utmost seriousness any involvement by Israeli citizens in activities that endanger state security and the safety of its residents.

This case follows a familiar pattern of online radicalization. The incident joins a series of terror plots uncovered in recent months involving young Israelis who became radicalized through exposure to ISIS content on social media platforms. Despite its territorial defeat, ISIS continues to operate through online propaganda channels. Just a month ago, a resident of the Negev was arrested on suspicion of planning a car bomb attack in Be'er Sheva after being exposed to ISIS-affiliated content online and establishing contact with individuals presenting themselves as terror operatives.

The phenomenon extends beyond Israel's borders. Recent months have seen similar plots exposed worldwide, including a case in Germany where a 15-year-old planned an attack on a synagogue and manufactured explosive devices himself after expressing sympathy for ISIS and accumulating pyrotechnic materials to create lethal bombs.

The Shin Bet and Israel Police stated they will employ all available measures to prosecute those involved in such activities to the fullest extent of the law. Security agencies continue working to prevent attacks and expose terror cells at early stages, before their plots can be carried out.