Prosecutors filed an indictment against Rahat resident Hamza Abu Zaila on Friday morning in the Southern District Court in Beersheba after he was accused of being a member of ISIS and trying to recruit others to the organization.
Abu Zaila, 20, was arrested in July on suspicion of being involved with ISIS, at which point the Shin Bet launched an investigation into his activities. The indictment came as a result of the investigation.
According to the indictment itself, Abu Zaila began showing interest in ISIS content on social media approximately one year ago. The content largely focused on ISIS' mission and operatives. After some time engaging with this social media content, Abu Zaila started identifying as a "mujahid," or a religious freedom fighter.
Abu Zaila swears an oath and joins ISIS remotely
Abu Zaila also swore an oath of allegiance to ISIS and tried to influence those around him to join the organization. He showed them promotional content online and even posted ISIS-related pictures and videos on his own social media.
When Abu Zaila decided to join ISIS officially, he contacted several ISIS members outside Israel via the internet. In particular, he found them on the organization's TikTok account. They recommended that since he cannot travel to the areas where they are operating, Abu Zaila should carry out an attack within Israel.
The indictment further stated that Abu Zaila expressed an explicit desire to attack Jews during a conversation with his cousin.
He was ultimately charged with contacting a foreign agent, being a member of a terrorist organization and attempt to conspire to commit an act of terrorism.