It has been released for publication that the General Security Service and the Central Unit of the North District of Police have detained a apprehended cell which intended to carry out terrorist attacks in northern Israel.
As part of the investigation, a number of suspects including the head of the squad, his deputy, and 11 others were detained. Most of them are residents of Sakhnin and their children - Akram Halaila, Muhammad Musa Abu Saleh, Ali Halaila, and Muhammad Shohana Muhammad Ayush. In addition, police detained Zohav Jalbush, a suspect of trafficking weapons from Judea and Samaria. Four weapons, ammunition, and explosives vests intended to be used by the squad for terrorist attacks in Israel were discovered in the operation.
According to the information revealed in the investigation, the squad members, Muhammad Khaled and Muhammad Yusef, recruited other members from Sakhnin for the purpose of promoting terrorism in Israel. Members of the squad purchased weapons originally owned by the IDF. One of the suspects, Muhammad Khaled Halaila, also revealed that he had been in contact with Hamas operatives in Gaza who had provided him with instructions for the preparation of explosives and instructed him to recruit more cell members.
The investigation also revealed that in addition to their activities as part of the terrorist organization, some of the detainees participated in throwing Molotov cocktails at the village of Ashbel as part of a terror wave that shook Israel during Operation "Guardian of the Walls" in May, 2021.
This morning (Sunday) with the conclusion of the investigation by the Shin Bet and Israeli police, the Haifa district attorney's office will file charges against the 13 suspects in the case, alongside a request for their detention until the end of proceedings.
