Israeli Authorities Foil ISIS Car Bomb Plot Targeting Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall
Israeli security forces have arrested five Arab Israeli citizens linked to ISIS, preventing a car-bombing plot aimed at Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall. The suspects reportedly studied attacks in Syria and communicated with foreign ISIS operatives.
Authorities announced Thursday that Israeli security forces prevented a significant terror attack by arresting five Arab Israeli citizens suspected of plotting a car bombing at Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall under ISIS’s banner. Officials stated that the attack could have caused mass casualties and extensive damage.
All five suspects, residents of Taybeh in central Israel, allegedly formed an ISIS-affiliated terror cell. Following a month-long covert investigation led by the elite Lahav 433 crime unit, they were arrested and will face formal charges in the coming days.
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Security officials identified Mahmoud Azam and Ibrahim Sheik Yousef as the ringleaders behind the plot. They recruited three others—Sajed Masarwa, Abdullah Baransi, and Abdel Kareem Baransi—to assist in planning. A joint statement from the Israel Police and Shin Bet revealed that the suspects analyzed footage of past terror attacks in Syria and discussed the quantity of explosives needed to target the Azrieli Towers, one of Tel Aviv’s most iconic landmarks.
Authorities reported that Azam and Yousef had communicated with foreign ISIS operatives and planned to travel abroad to meet with them. The plot was uncovered through what officials described as ‘precise and effective intelligence operations’ and was halted in its early stages, preventing what they called “a major disaster.”
Police and Shin Bet emphasized in their statement that the arrests “saved lives” and reaffirmed their commitment to utilizing all resources available to safeguard Israeli citizens from future attacks.
The announcement follows a recent wave of terror attacks in Israel, such as a fatal shooting at the Beersheba bus station and a stabbing spree in Hadera, both by Arab Israeli assailants. It also coincides with the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history.
