Palestinian Jerusalem resident held for plotting attack

Israel’s security service says it has detained and charged a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem who was planning a terror attack in the city.

The man, Muhammad Abasi, was arrested three weeks ago, but the Shin Bet is only releasing the details today.

Abasi was allegedly planning to carry out a shooting attack against the security forces and tried to buy a weapon for the attack, the Shin Bet says in a statement.

He also had several posts on Facebook praising Hamas and terror attacks, the Shin Bet says.

“Arresting Abasi, who as a resident of Jerusalem had access to the whole city, prevented a serious attack in Jerusalem,” the statement says.

— Judah Ari Gross