Former IDF Soldier Charged With Planning to Join ISIS and Fight Abroad

An indictment was filed this morning (Wednesday) against Khamis Suad, a man in his 30s from Husniyya in the Galilee, after a joint investigation by the police and the Shin Bet found that he identified with the ISIS terrorist organization and studied content related to combat and the production of weapons.

Suad was arrested in recent weeks as part of a joint operation by the Central Unit of the Galilee area in the police's Northern District and the Shin Bet. Following his arrest, he was taken in for questioning by the Shin Bet and the Galilee Central Unit, during which his activities and his connection to content associated with the terrorist organization were examined.

According to the investigation's findings, Suad expressed identification with ISIS and studied and carried out training intending to eventually join the organization's fighting forces outside Israel. As part of his activities, he watched instructional content dealing with combat and the use of weapons.

The investigation also found that the content he watched was not limited to combat training. According to the police and the Shin Bet, Suad was also exposed to materials dealing with the production of missiles and drones intended for terrorist purposes. Through this, according to the investigation's findings, he acquired knowledge in various areas related to weapons, alongside his identification with ISIS and steps he took toward the possibility of joining its fighting forces abroad.

At the conclusion of the investigation, a body of evidence was assembled against him that led to the filing of the indictment. This morning, the Haifa District Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against Suad in the Haifa Magistrate's Court and simultaneously requested that he remain in custody until the legal proceedings against him are completed.

Following the filing of the indictment, the police and the Shin Bet stressed that they will continue to act against Israelis seeking to operate within terrorist organizations. Their joint statement said: "The Shin Bet and Israel Police act decisively against any activity that endangers the security of the state and its citizens, and against any activity in which Israeli citizens seek to act on behalf of terrorist organizations against Israelis, and will continue to act decisively to thwart any activity against the State of Israel."