Israeli Man Charged for Planning Bombing and Shooting Attack at Beersheba Nightclub

Abdallah Gargawi, a resident of Misgav Shalom, was arrested on July 19 by Israeli police and the Shin Bet security service. On Tuesday, he was indicted at the Beersheba District Court for planning a terror attack targeting patrons at the Forum nightclub in Beersheba’s Park neighborhood. During interrogation, Gargawi admitted he intended to detonate explosives among the club’s dancers, regardless of whether they were Jewish or Arab. His brother Ahmad confirmed that Gargawi attempted to manufacture explosives.

Investigations by the Southern District Police revealed Gargawi’s plan included detonating a bomb at the nightclub when it was crowded, followed by a shooting attack. He stated he considered Beersheba as the location but had not fixed the exact site initially. The indictment details that over several months, Gargawi possessed weapons including an M-16 replica rifle, magazines, and ammunition for a relative, and fired the weapon in an open area near Ramat Hovav. In 2025, he held additional firearms such as MAG, Kalashnikov, and Negev rifles for another individual.

Gargawi also described his efforts to prepare explosives, researching on YouTube how to make bomb fillings using agricultural lime, sulfur, and charcoal. He sourced lime from a warehouse linked to a relative in Jenin and charcoal from home but failed to acquire sulfur commercially, resorting to extracting it from matchsticks. The indictment accuses him of contact with a foreign agent, preparing for a terror act, and weapons offenses.

His connection to ISIS content began in 2022, when he started consuming and later supporting the group online, communicating with its supporters and accessing related materials. About six months ago, he planned to bring a car bomb near the Forum nightclub to remotely detonate it during peak hours. After his arrest, authorities seized his phone, which contained evidence of his contacts with ISIS supporters and documentation of his weapons use prior to detention.