Security Forces Foil Planned Bombing by Hamas-Recruited Arab-Israeli Man

The Shin Bet announced on Wednesday the arrest of a 20-year-old Israeli citizen from the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm, who was planning to carry out a bombing attack.

The suspect, who was detained a few weeks ago, was recruited by the Hamas terrorist group. He intended to “carry out a bombing attack using an explosive device” on a bus line in the Hadera area, according to the Shin Bet statement.

“The suspect Muhammad Nadir Mahajna, a 20-year-old Israeli citizen, was arrested in possession of media used to communicate with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. An investigation by the Shin Bet revealed that he was recruited a few months ago into the military wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, for the purpose of carrying out a bombing attack using an explosive device in the territory of Israel,” the statement said.

The investigation revealed that in light of the “financial and psychological pressures he was under,” the suspect began to align with the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, and later decided that he wanted to “commit Jihad.” The suspect collected information about possible locations to carry out an attack, with an emphasis on “security sites and crowded places.” The investigation found that he passed on the information to Hamas.

“In the end, according to the instructions he received from Hamas, he intended to carry out a deadly attack on bus route 921 in the Hadera area, and he even took several actions to carry out the attack before he was arrested,” the Shin Bet said.

On May 9, an indictment was filed against the suspect, accusing him of “serious security offenses.”