Man Arrested for Falsely Reporting Terror Attacks in Afula

Police in northern Israel have arrested a 35-year-old bus driver from Ein Mahl on suspicion of making numerous false terror reports. For several months, beginning in early 2025 and continuing until late August, the suspect allegedly called the police repeatedly with detailed, yet fabricated, accounts of impending terror attacks in Afula.

These reports included claims of a terrorist near a kindergarten and another planning an attack at the Afula central bus station. The anonymous caller also described threats targeting the train station and a sheikh at a mosque. Each report, though false, prompted a significant police response due to the perceived threat.

A police source stated that every such report requires a serious response, as they must treat initial warnings of security incidents as potentially real threats, mobilizing forces across the region. At least five distinct incidents were linked to the same source.

The investigation gained traction when detectives traced multiple calls, despite the use of aliases and varying stories, to a single phone line. This breakthrough led to the suspect's arrest by officers from the Northern District. He is charged with the serious offense of providing false information, and his detention has been extended by the court.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the motive behind the suspect's serial false alarms.