Pharmacy Student Accused of Planning Mass Poisoning Attack in Jerusalem

Israeli prosecutors have indicted Mohammed Shalabi, a 22-year-old pharmacy student and pharmacy assistant from Beit Hanina, on charges of preparing for a terror attack involving murder and receiving training for terrorist purposes. Shalabi is accused of planning to carry out attacks against security forces and Jewish civilians with the aim of causing mass casualties.

The indictment details Shalabi's ideological radicalization following the October 7th events and the ensuing Swords of Iron War. He systematically consumed content associated with Hamas and ISIS, leading him to decide to leverage his academic knowledge and access to chemicals for terrorist acts.

Initially, in early 2025, Shalabi planned to plant an explosive device near a mosque in his neighborhood, targeting enforcement officers who had issued parking tickets to worshippers. He monitored their activities for two months and downloaded instructions for making explosives, but this plan was abandoned when the officers stopped coming to the location.

Following the cancellation of the local plan, Shalabi shifted to planning a large-scale attack, stating his intention to kill "a lot of Jews." He joined Telegram groups affiliated with terrorist organizations, including one linked to ISIS, and downloaded numerous files on preparing explosives and deadly poisons. He also copied recipes for poisons that could cause death through contact, inhalation, or ingestion into a notebook.

The indictment further outlines Shalabi's concrete preparatory actions. He traveled to Ramallah on two occasions to purchase chemical materials and equipment, splitting his purchases to avoid suspicion. He stored the materials in his room and conducted a chemical experiment in his bathroom, igniting a mixture he had prepared. To cover his tracks, Shalabi deleted relevant files and search history from his phone.