2 IS-inspired Israelis nabbed for plan to shoot troops

Shin Bet and police arrest northern Israel residents who were saving money to buy a pistol

Two Arab Israelis inspired by the Islamic State prepared to carry out terror attacks against IDF soldiers, the Shin Bet revealed Thursday.

Bahaa Eldin Ziad Hasan Masarwa, 19, and Ahmad Nabil Ahmad Ahmad, 21, were arrested in a joint operation by the Shin Bet and Israel Police earlier this year.

During their interrogations, the two confessed to having been inspired by the Islamic State terror group, the security service said.

“Over the past few months the two began praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on a weekly basis, and during one of their trips the two decided to carry out a shooting attack against security forces,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.

The pair were from northern Israeli cities, Masarwa from Yafia and Ahmad from Nazareth.

The two planned to shoot IDF soldiers in the nearby Israeli city of Afula and had begun collecting money in order to purchase a pistol for the attack, the Shin Bet said.

In 2013, three residents of Yafia entered Syria through Turkey and joined the Islamic State.

Masarwa and Ahmad were indicted in a Nazareth District Court for conspiracy to commit a crime and aiding the enemy during wartime. In addition, Masarwa has been charged with contacting a foreign agent and making contact with a terrorist organization.