Jaffa Arab Sought to Attack Defense Ministry on Behalf of Islamic State

A 19-year-old Arab resident of Jaffa was indicted Wednesday for seeking to carry out terror attacks on behalf of Islamic State forces. Kamal Abu Amra had joined the terror group, the indictment said, and had planned attacks as part of the organization. He was indicted on charges including belonging to a terror group, conspiracy to commit an act of terror, and other charges.

Abu Amra had trained in Israel using his own devices in order to become a member of the group, the indictment said. He attempted to duplicate the training Islamic State gives to new recruits, and sent the terror group a video of himself in training. He also suggested a number of actions he could take on behalf of the group, including joining the terror group’s fighting force in Iraq or Syria. He also expressed readiness to carry out a terror attack at Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, which he told the group he could easily infiltrate, as an Israeli Arab and Tel Aviv resident.

According to investigators, Abu Amra “acted of his own free will, and out of an ideological commitment to the activities and philosophy of Islamic State. He also acted out of a sense of hostility to Jews and the state of Israel.” Abu Amra will remain in custody until the court acts on the indictment, officials said.