Pharmacy Student Charged with Planning Mass Murder of Jews

Prosecutors in Jerusalem have indicted Mohamed Shalabi, a 22-year-old pharmacy student and resident of Beit Hanina, for preparing acts of terror, including murder, and receiving training for terrorist purposes. The indictment alleges that Shalabi planned to carry out attacks against security forces and Jewish civilians using explosive devices and deadly poisons, with the intent of causing mass casualties. Prosecutors are requesting that Shalabi be held in custody until the legal proceedings against him are concluded.

According to the indictment, filed by attorney Amihai Marks, Shalabi, a third-year pharmacy student who also worked as a pharmacy assistant, underwent ideological radicalization, partly influenced by the events of October 7th and the Swords of Iron War. He systematically consumed content associated with Hamas and ISIS, deciding to leverage his academic knowledge and access to chemicals for lethal attacks. In early 2025, fueled by anger over parking tickets issued to worshippers near a mosque in Beit Hanina, Shalabi initially planned to plant a bomb where law enforcement officers typically stood. He monitored their activities for two months and downloaded bomb-making guides from the internet. This plan was abandoned when the officers stopped coming to the location.

Subsequently, Shalabi conceived a larger-scale attack, stating his desire to kill "a lot of Jews." He joined Telegram groups affiliated with terrorist organizations, including one linked to ISIS, and downloaded numerous files detailing the construction of explosives, incendiary materials, and lethal poisons. He also copied poison recipes capable of causing death through contact, inhalation, or ingestion into a notebook, and documented materials usable for making explosives.

The indictment details that Shalabi moved from planning to concrete preparatory actions. He traveled to Ramallah on two occasions to purchase chemical substances and equipment, splitting his purchases to avoid suspicion, and stored them in his room. He conducted a chemical experiment in his home bathroom, igniting a mixture to test the materials. Shalabi also deleted files and search history from his phone to conceal his activities. The indictment charges him with preparation for acts of terror, specifically murder, and receiving training for terrorist purposes.