Bar-Ilan University Lecturer Indicted for Plotting Mass Terror Attacks

A 60-year-old mathematics lecturer at Bar-Ilan University has been indicted for planning large-scale terror attacks targeting hundreds of Arab citizens of Israel. The charges were revealed on Monday, October 5, following the filing of an indictment at the District Court. The court has imposed a gag order on the suspect's name, though it is known he is a 60-year-old resident of Petah Tikva. He referred to his plan as "AIT," an acronym for "Am Yase Transfer," meaning "The people will perform a transfer." He faces charges of preparing for a terror attack, extortion with threats, and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors are seeking to keep him in custody until the trial concludes.

According to the indictment, prepared by attorneys Roi Reiss and Tomer Steinberg, the man acted out of nationalist and ideological motives. He conceived the coordinated attacks during the "Guardian of the Walls" operation and later during the "Swords of Iron" war, aiming to provoke a mass exodus and permanent expulsion of Arab citizens to Jordan, Lebanon, and Gaza. For over three years, from early February 2023 until his arrest in September 2026, the accused meticulously developed his plan. This involved reconnaissance, drafting documents justifying his actions, and attempting to recruit participants.

The plan detailed the involvement of 72 Jewish militants, at least half of whom possess firearm permits, divided into 12 groups of six. These militants, including the lecturer himself, were to arm themselves with pistols, rifles, axes, and hammers to launch simultaneous mass attacks in mixed-population cities and Arab communities. The groups were promised support and cover from "subversive elements" to be recruited from the IDF, including potential aerial and artillery bombardments of Arab neighborhoods. A document titled "How to carry out AIT here and now" outlined joining "mass murder, rapid seizure of conflict zones, roads, entrances and exits of Arab settlements and hospitals," urging participants "not to spare even women and cruel, disgusting children" and to "harden hearts."

The lecturer attempted for about 18 months to find supporters, including approaching politician Moshe Feiglin, who was running for the 26th Knesset with the Zehut party. He visited two of Feiglin's public events, seeking a meeting and attempting to convey a summary of his plan, but Feiglin did not respond. Approximately one month before his arrest, the accused sent Feiglin a letter containing blackmail-like demands, criticizing his lack of cooperation and threatening reputational damage before the elections. He later delivered the letter and another threatening one to Feiglin's party leadership.

The indictment also notes the suspect's extensive security measures, including writing documents by hand, wearing masks and sunglasses during recruitment meetings, using aliases, and making calls from random people's phones to avoid detection. Prosecutors argued that the prolonged, detailed planning based on a "bloody ideology" demonstrates a clear and present danger, amplified by the nationalist motive and the timing during periods of heightened security tension.