Israel officially charges seven Arabs of having links to IS
Xinhua, January 18, 2015 Adjust font size:
Seven Israeli Arabs were indicted on Sunday over charges of having links to the Islamic State (IS) militant group, Israel's Shin Bet Security Agency said.
The suspects, in their 20s and 30s, were arrested in the past two months for trying to establish an IS cell in Israel, the Shin Bet said in a statement.
One of the suspects is a lawyer who worked as a public defender in the northern city of Nazareth.
According to the indictment, filed at a court in Haifa in northern Israel, the seven used to meet and plot ways to assist IS activities in Syria.
Israeli authorities have outlawed any association with the IS last year.
According to the indictment, the group met at an Arab village up north where they practiced making firebombs and other types of firearms. They also were trying to raise money to leave for Syria.
Israeli authorities believe they planned to conduct terror attacks in Israel against security personnel and others.
The defendants admitted that they wished to establish a jihadist group fueled by the IS ideology, according to the Shin Bet. Endit