Israeli government buildings in Jerusalem were among the targets of an ISIS cell. Israeli Knesset Building. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock.
ISIS is inspiring an interest in Jerusalem—and it’s not friendly. Six Palestinians who joined ISIS (ISIL) were arrested in a neighborhood in the Jerusalem area, which city so happened to be an intended location in their list of potential attacks in Israel. Israeli Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld posted on his Twitter account that the six terrorists were picked up in Shuafat neighborhood and were “involved in ISIS activities & planned terrorist attacks in Israel.”
Major attacks—including an attack on an Israeli stadium or government building and kidnapping a soldier—were among the planned offenses by the intercepted terrorists, according to a report from Haaretz. Prime Minister’s Office spokesman Ofir Gendelman cited the Israeli police in his Twitter feed by highlighting that Jerusalem was among the targets while noting that the terrorists were indicted on Monday.
Haaretz noted members of the terror cell tried to join ISIS fighters in the Egyptian Sinai and sneak into Syria via Turkey, but were foiled in those efforts. They then worked to engage in terrorism on behalf of ISIS in Israel, according to the report.
ISIS’ loose network and appeal to what appear to be independent terror cells has long made them challenging to intercept by security forces before the terrorists strike. Israel, with a long history of successful counterterrorism, looks to have foiled some major attacks in their own country by beating that trend.
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, October 3, 2016)