Israeli teen arrested for planning ISIS-inspired attack on IDF soldiers

Prosecutors indict an 18-year-old on terror charges after he allegedly plotted to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack on IDF soldiers at a bus station in Beersheba.

The defendant, who lives in the Negev, was arrested by police in November 2025 on suspicion of committing security offenses while still a minor. He was interrogated by Shin Bet officers, police say in a statement.

Prosecutors in the State Attorney’s Office claim the defendant initially planned to stab soldiers with a knife he bought, but later resolved to carry out a suicide bombing.

The defendant allegedly tried to create his own explosives. He tried to manufacture two devices, but gave up after realizing he didn’t have the necessary materials, prosecutors write.

He then opted for a simpler bombmaking recipe, throwing his two unfinished IEDs in the garbage near his home, they add.

The defendant allegedly consumed online ISIS content throughout his adolescence, starting in 2020. He began to identify more strongly with Hamas later on, and decided to commit an attack in the terror group’s name following its October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

He is charged in the Beersheba District Court with planning to commit a terrorist act involving aggravated murder, training for a terrorist act, and attempting to obtain a weapon for terrorist purposes.