A father and son from Kalandiya have been indicted for their involvement in an extensive weapons trafficking and terrorism plot uncovered during a year-long investigation, the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office announced on Monday.
The investigation, which followed the deployment of a police agent, revealed a wide-ranging operation involving weapons transactions, explosives manufacturing, and the planning of terror attacks, all motivated by an ideological-nationalistic cause. The prosecution is seeking to detain all defendants until the legal proceedings are concluded.
The Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office explained that the complex investigation, which was conducted under its supervision, uncovered severe and dangerous security activity. This included planning and executing lethal terror attacks, as well as extensive involvement in the illegal weapons trade.
The prosecution emphasized that the scale, sophistication, and volume of weapons involved pointed to the extraordinary threat posed by those involved. All defendants will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, the office affirmed.
According to the indictment, the Shaheen father-son duo and their neighbor, Yousef Abu Taha, were involved in arms trading, explosives manufacturing, and planning deadly terror attacks from 2020 until their arrest.
They operated improvised bomb-making laboratories in their homes and warehouses, and during the ongoing investigation, they produced dozens of pipe bombs connected to gas cylinders and fire extinguishers, purchased chemicals like potassium, sulfur, and charcoal powder, and conducted experiments to refine their explosives, the indictment charged.
Additionally, one of the defendants is accused of carrying out a shooting attack at the Kalandiya checkpoint, where 24 bullets were fired at security forces.
Additional terror attack plots against IDF targets
The group planned other attacks, including shootings and bombings at the Kalandiya checkpoint, an assault on a person in Modi’in they believed to be an air force pilot, and bombings at a nightclub in Rishon Lezion. They also planned to place explosive devices along IDF patrol routes.
The investigation also revealed that the defendants trained others in the use of weapons and bomb-making techniques and maintained contact with a foreign agent affiliated with Hamas, as well as with individuals linked to the Islamic State.
In addition, eight other indictments were filed against 19 defendants, including three minors, for firearms offenses. These indictments, filed by attorney Sapir Mordechai, describe arms deals worth hundreds of thousands of shekels, including the sale of various handguns, alongside rifles, such as M16s and Kalashnikovs, ammunition, and magazines.
The deals were made in cash, with live-fire shooting tests in some cases. Operational firearms – some stolen – were seized, along with a large quantity of magazines and ammunition.