Pharmacy Student Charged with Planning Mass Casualty Terror Attack
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Jerusalem prosecutors indicted a 22-year-old pharmacy student, Mohammed Shalabi, for planning a mass casualty terror attack using explosives and poisons. Shalabi, influenced by recent events, allegedly researched and acquired materials for bombs and deadly toxins. He also conducted chemical experiments and deleted digital evidence of his activities. The indictment charges him with preparing for murder and receiving terror training, highlighting ongoing security efforts to thwart attacks.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Mohammed Shalabi, a pharmacy student, was indicted for planning mass casualty terror attacks using explosives and poisons.
- Prosecutors allege Shalabi was influenced by recent events and consumed content from Hamas and ISIS.
- He planned to use knowledge from his studies and access to chemicals for deadly attacks.
- Shalabi acquired materials, conducted experiments, and deleted evidence of his preparations.
- The indictment includes charges of preparing for murder and receiving terror training.
Jerusalem District Court received a severe indictment Thursday against Mohammed Shalabi, a 22-year-old resident of Beit Hanina and a third-year pharmacy student, for preparing a terror act of murder and receiving training for terror purposes. Prosecutors allege Shalabi planned to carry out attacks against security forces and Jewish civilians using explosive devices and deadly poisons with the aim of causing mass casualties. The prosecution is requesting the court order Shalabi's detention until the legal proceedings against him are concluded. The indictment was filed by prosecutor Amihai Marks.
According to the indictment, Shalabi underwent a process of ideological radicalization, 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 chemical materials for deadly attacks. Initially, in early 2025, angered by parking tickets issued to worshippers near a mosque in Beit Hanina, Shalabi planned to plant an explosive device where law enforcement officers typically stood. He monitored their activity for two months and downloaded bomb-making guides from the internet, but this plan was abandoned when officers stopped coming to the location.
Subsequently, Shalabi planned a large-scale attack, stating his intention to kill "a lot of Jews." He joined Telegram groups affiliated with terror organizations, including one linked to ISIS, downloading dozens of files on making explosives and deadly poisons. He also copied poison recipes into a notebook, detailing substances that could cause death through contact, inhalation, or ingestion, and documented materials for making explosives.
The indictment states Shalabi moved from planning to concrete preparatory actions. He traveled to Ramallah twice, purchasing chemical materials and equipment, splitting his purchases to avoid suspicion, and storing them in his room. He conducted a chemical experiment in his bathroom, igniting a mixture he prepared to test the substances. Shalabi also deleted files and search history from his phone to conceal his actions. The indictment charges him with preparing for a terror act of murder and receiving training for terror purposes, adding to a series of thwarted terror plots in recent months and highlighting ongoing security efforts.
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