A former IDF soldier from northern Israel was charged on Wednesday with training for terrorist purposes after prosecutors alleged that he prepared himself to join ISIS and fight for the organization in Syria or Africa.
Khamis Su’ad, 30, an Arab-Israeli resident of Huseiniya in the Galilee, was arrested on August 2 following a joint investigation by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police.
The prosecution filed the indictment in Haifa Magistrate’s Court alongside a request to keep Su’ad in custody until the conclusion of the proceedings.
According to the indictment, Su’ad served in the IDF from 2017 to 2019. Beginning in 2023, he allegedly developed a growing interest in ISIS and came to identify with its activities, values, and objectives.
Prosecutors said he regularly visited websites and viewed social-media content associated with the terrorist organization.
In 2024, Su’ad allegedly decided to travel to Syria or Africa and fight for ISIS against those the organization considers infidels. According to the indictment, he then began preparing to carry out that plan.
Suspect allegedly watched ISIS killing videos, religious lessons
Prosecutors divided the alleged preparations into three areas. Su’ad watched videos showing killings and beheadings to prepare himself psychologically, studied weapons use and combat methods, and watched religious lessons delivered by senior ISIS figures. He also began saving money for the planned journey.
During 2026, he allegedly downloaded manuals and watched videos explaining how to produce missiles and drones, use sniper rifles and other weapons associated with ISIS, and employ military tactics.
Su’ad was charged with receiving training or instruction in operational methods and weapons for the purpose of advancing the activities of a terrorist organization or carrying out a terrorist act.
The charge does not require prosecutors to prove that he completed his alleged plan to travel abroad. They must, however, prove that the material amounted to training or instruction and that he received it for a terrorist purpose.
In the accompanying detention request, prosecutors said Su’ad admitted the conduct attributed to him during questioning. They also said investigators found videos and manuals on his phones that supported the allegations.
Prosecutors argued that Su’ad would pose a danger to the public and state security if released and that there was also a risk he could obstruct or evade the proceedings. They said no release conditions would adequately address that risk.
The detention request also states that Su’ad has no previous convictions.
Israel sees spate of ISIS-linked planned attacks
Su’ad’s indictment follows at least two other ISIS-linked cases publicized by Israeli authorities in August.
On August 18, prosecutors charged Abdullah Gergawi, 20, from Segev Shalom, with allegedly planning to attack Beersheba’s Forum nightclub using a vehicle rigged with explosives. Police said he had communicated with ISIS supporters and intended to join the organization in Syria.
On August 28, police and the Shin Bet announced that prosecutors would file indictments against a 16-year-old Galilee resident and Ibrahim Kaabiyya, a 19-year-old Haifa resident. Authorities alleged that the minor intended to attack Jewish police officers and soldiers on the Temple Mount, while Kaabiyya planned an attack against an IDF base in northern Israel. Kaabiyya’s attorney denied that he had planned an attack and said his interest in ISIS material stemmed from curiosity.
Unlike those cases, the indictment against Su’ad does not identify a planned attack inside Israel. It rather concerns his alleged online training and preparations to travel abroad and fight for ISIS.
The court must now consider the prosecution’s request to detain him through the trial. That decision is separate from the question of guilt and determines only where Su’ad will remain while the criminal proceedings continue.