Three Indicted for Supplying Weapon to Terrorist in Deadly Beer Sheva Attack

Two years after a shooting attack at the Beer Sheva Central Bus Station resulted in the death of 19-year-old Border Police officer Shira Haya Suslik and injured others, the State Prosecutor's Office has filed indictments against three Negev residents. Authorities suspect these individuals supplied the terrorist, Ahmed Al-Okaibi, with the handgun and ammunition used in the October 6, 2024, attack. The indictments allege that the three knew Al-Okaibi held extremist views, harbored hatred towards Jews, and were aware he might use the weapon for a terror attack.

The accused include the Defendant, 26, from Hura, and a father and son from the Al-Okaibi Bedouin settlement, with the son being a minor at the time of the offenses. They were arrested in September 2026 following a joint operation by the Shin Bet, the Southern District Police, and undercover Border Police operatives. The investigation revealed that the process began around January 2024 when Ahmed Al-Okaibi asked a relative, the father of the minor, to help acquire a pistol. The father then enlisted his son, who contacted the Defendant to facilitate the deal. Al-Okaibi arranged the purchase of a Glock pistol for approximately 43,000 shekels, including a 3,000 shekel profit for himself, from another individual. He later met the minor in the Lahavim forest, paid 20,000 shekels for the gun, and the pair delivered it to the father, who inspected it and approved its quality before instructing his son to give it to the terrorist. The terrorist paid part of the sum.

Al-Okaibi's involvement continued when, months later and before the attack, Ahmed Al-Okaibi requested a magazine and ammunition. The Defendant supplied these for 2,500 shekels. The indictments assert that all three defendants were aware of the terrorist's extremist ideology and potential for violence, yet proceeded to procure and transfer the weapon to him. The prosecution also detailed the Defendant's further alleged involvement in arms deals between 2024 and 2026, including the purchase of 990 M-16 rifle rounds and attempted deals for a silencer, Kalashnikov rifle, and another Glock pistol. The prosecution highlighted the ease with which weapons and ammunition can be obtained, comparing it to "a person going grocery shopping."

The three face charges including arms trafficking, possession, and transport, and providing means for terrorism. The Defendant faces additional weapons offenses. The minor and his father are also charged with illegal possession of a Kalashnikov rifle near Rahat, and the minor faces charges for driving without a license or insurance. The arrests were made by undercover Border Police in September 2026, based on intelligence from the Shin Bet.