YERUSHALAYIM -

Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 6:21 am |

Amin Yassin. (Shin Bet)

Israeli security officials in recent weeks arrested two Arab citizens who were working on behalf of Islamic State, the Shin Bet announced Thursday. The two, residents of the Galilee Arab village of Tamra, are 22-year-old Amin Yassin, a medical student who has been studying in Slovakia, and Ali Armush, 28, who has been questioned previously for security offenses.

Ali Armush. (Shin Bet)

An investigation by the Shin Bet, Israel Police and IDF yielded information on activities they were engaged in to advance the operations of Islamic State, which would have resulted in a terror attack in Israel. The two under questioning said they identified fully with the terror organization and actively advocated its takeover of Israel, turning it into a “Caliphate,” a Koran-governed Islamist entity.

Among the attacks they discussed was the explosion of a car bomb in an Israeli city, and the murder of Amin’s cousin, a former U.S. military officer, whom they believed had killed Muslims during his service.

The two were also involved in recruiting on behalf of Islamic State. They had downloaded a large amount of materials to their computer, which was used to spread the group’s propaganda. The material included instructions on how to carry out specific terror attacks, such as preparing a car bomb. An indictment was handed down against the two Thursday, the Shin Bet said.