Shin Bet Declined to Investigate Bar Ilan Lecturer Accused of Planning Attacks

Israel's Shin Bet security agency reportedly declined to investigate a Bar Ilan University mathematics lecturer accused of planning attacks against Arab citizens. The agency conducted a brief clarification session with the lecturer before transferring the investigation to the police, according to Hebrew newspaper Haaretz. The Shin Bet's decision to withdraw from the investigation persisted even after it became clear the lecturer possessed a licensed firearm and had taken steps toward executing his plan, including visiting the town of Tuba-Zangaria. Sources familiar with the case described the handling of the matter as slow from the outset, despite the dangerous nature of the alleged plot. An insider told Haaretz that the Shin Bet's approach was "very lax" and that they "did not want to deal with the lecturer" even before a thorough investigation. The source questioned why the agency exited the investigation within hours, especially given the alleged ideological and organized nature of the plan, which reportedly escalated as elections approached. The case reportedly reached senior Shin Bet officials who directed that it not be pursued. Shin Bet agents were absent from the search of the lecturer's home, where police discovered a handwritten notebook detailing attack plans, recruitment of activists, and mentioning Moshe Feiglin as a potential target to gain access to individuals who could assist him. The lecturer had attempted to contact Feiglin and other right-wing figures, including lawyer and podcast host Tamir Doron and former intelligence official Raffi Hayoun, seeking support or assistance for his alleged plan. Most of those contacted did not report the lecturer to the police. Feiglin filed a complaint after receiving a message from the lecturer detailing his plan, which Feiglin later characterized as an attempted extortion. After about a day and a half, the lecturer was summoned for a clarification session with the Shin Bet before the case was transferred to the police. Doron stated he rejected the plan upon understanding its nature and asked the lecturer to leave his office, admitting he underestimated the man's dangerousness and erred by not going to the police sooner. He believed the lecturer's ideas were theoretical and not practically executable, but confirmed he later cooperated with the police and was not involved in or promoting the plot. The report follows the indictment of the lecturer, approximately 60 years old, on charges including preparing for a terrorist act, extortion by threat, and obstruction of justice. The indictment alleges the plot targeted hundreds of Arab citizens in Israel, as well as Arabs in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.