Security Officials Arrest Islamic State Organizer in Chevron

YERUSHALAYIM
Islamic State dirty bomb
In this 2014 photo, Islamic State supporters holding the terror group’s flags march in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul. (AP Photo, File)

An Arab resident of Palestinian Authority-controlled areas was arrested Friday by Israeli security forces for organizing support groups and terror cells affiliated with Islamic State. The Arab recruited hundreds of supporters for the cause via social media, officials said. The suspect was arrested Friday after a joint effort by the IDF, Shin Bet and Israel Police, a police statement said.

The suspect, in his 40s, was a former resident of the Shuafat neighborhood of Yerushalayim, and several months ago went to live in Chevron. There he began organizing for Islamic State, posting materials supporting the group that thousands were exposed to, many of them expressing support for the group and its objectives and actions. The suspect appeared before a Jerusalem court Sunday, with police supplying a great deal of material that was deemed extremely dangerous to Israel’s security. Police will request an extension of his remand.

In a statement, police said that the suspect was arrested due to the efforts of its cybersecurity division. The statement said that police would continue to utilize the unit to detect activity by terrorists, including incitement to violence, organization of terror cells, fundraising for terror activities, and other forms of online terror support.

On Friday, a Rishon LeTzion court extended the remand of Raed Salah, head of the Northern Islamic Movement. Salah had been arrested on Tuesday on charges of incitement. Among the instances of incitement was a speech he gave at the funerals of the three murderers of Israeli police officers Ha’il Satawi and Kamil Shanan, who were killed in the Har HaBayis terror attack last month. The terrorists given a mass funeral in Umm el-Fahm, where they lived, that was replete with anti-Israel slogans, Palestinian flags, and speeches inciting Arabs to commit more acts of terror, many of which were presented by Salah, police said.

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