Arab Israeli teen arrested over alleged plot to carry out terror attack on Amdocs server farm
The 19-year-old Kafr Qasim resident allegedly began planning the attack after visiting the facility through his National Service role, later watching ISIS videos and attempting to manufacture explosive devices, according to the Shin Bet and police.
A 19-year-old Israeli who spent about a year volunteering with the fire department as part of his National Service was arrested on suspicion of plotting to bomb an Amdocs server farm in central Israel, according to an investigation by the Shin Bet and Israel Police.
The suspect, Mustafa Issa, a resident of Kafr Qasim, had volunteered at a Sharon-region fire station in a support role rather than as a frontline firefighter. He had passed the background checks required to join the service and remained there for roughly a year before police notified the fire department, about two months before his arrest, that he was under investigation. He was subsequently dismissed.
The investigation alleges that Issa's interest in the server facility began after he participated in a fire department event there several months before his arrest. According to the investigation, he subsequently began considering breaking into the site and planting an explosive device.
Investigators say Issa later turned to ISIS videos online, where he learned how to construct a bomb. The investigation also found that he had attempted to manufacture explosive devices using various materials and had shared what he was doing with other people.
Issa was arrested by the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, and the Sharon District's Central Unit. Investigators said he had been strongly influenced by the events of Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021.
At the time of his arrest, investigators found training equipment and an airsoft weapon in his possession. According to the investigation, he had acquired the equipment privately on the black market, primarily within the Arab community.
Following the conclusion of the investigation, prosecutors filed a declaration of intent to indict Issa with the Central District Court in Lod. An indictment is expected to be filed on Thursday.
The Shin Bet and police said they were treating the case as a serious threat to state security.
“The Shin Bet and the Israel Police view any involvement by Israeli citizens in activities endangering state security with the utmost gravity; they will continue to employ all available measures to thwart any threat and ensure that all those involved face the full force of the law,” the agencies said in a joint statement.
