Israeli Authorities Indict Negev Resident for Planning Car Bomb Attack in Beersheba

The Southern District Prosecutor's Office has filed serious charges against Abdullah Gargawi, a 20-year-old resident of Segev Shalom in the Negev, accusing him of planning a car bomb attack at the Forum nightclub in Beersheba on behalf of the terrorist organization ISIS. According to the indictment, Gargawi began consuming ISIS-related content on social media in 2022, gradually developing strong ideological support for the group. He maintained direct contact with ISIS supporters, engaged in discussions, and joined a private Signal messaging group focused on jihad and events in Israel.

Gargawi sought guidance from an ISIS supporter in Syria on how to travel there to join the fighting, receiving detailed instructions on routes through Jordan or Turkey. He also communicated with another operative who suggested traveling to Yemen or Afghanistan for operational involvement. Although he planned to leave for Syria, a police search of his home led him to suspend his travel plans due to fear of immediate arrest.

Simultaneously, Gargawi decided to carry out a bombing attack in Beersheba. Around February 2026, he began formulating a plan to detonate an explosive-laden vehicle near the Forum nightclub while hundreds were present. He downloaded YouTube tutorials on bomb-making, attempted to acquire sulfur but failed, and tried to extract it from match heads to create an incendiary mixture, even conducting a failed ignition test near his home.

The indictment also accuses Gargawi of illegal possession of numerous weapons and ammunition. He held an M-16 style rifle, magazines, and bullets for a relative, and fired the weapon in an open area at Ramat Hovav. In 2025, he also possessed heavy weapons including MAG machine guns, Negev machine guns, and Kalashnikov rifles for another individual. The case, investigated jointly by the Shin Bet and the Southern District Police, includes charges of contact with a foreign agent, providing services or means to a terrorist organization, preparing for a terrorist act, training for terrorism, and weapons offenses.