'Price Tag' vandalism (illustrative)
'Price Tag' vandalism (illustrative)Flash 90

The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against seven suspects of "Jewish terror" on Monday, after weeks of drama around the spate of Shin Bet-led arrests. 

Charges include arms smuggling and violence against Palestinians and their property.

At least five of the seven arrested have been denied legal counsel until now, raising speculation and fear over the Shin Bet's interrogation process. 

The suspected cell members have been named as:

  • Pinhas Shendorfi, 22, a resident of Kiryat Arba near Hevron
  • Itamar Ben Aharon, 20, a resident of Nahaliel in Samaria
  • Michael Kaplan, 20, of Nahaliel
  • "MH", a minor, also of Nahaliel
  • "BS", a minor, of Nahaliel
  • An unnamed IDF soldier from Nahaliel

Among the attacks the cell members admitted to was the assault in June 2015 of a Palestinian farmer, in which the victim was beaten with sticks and sprayed with pepper spray, as well as a firebomb attack on a home in the Palestinian Arab village of Mazar'a Kabalia in November of the same year.

In a chilling echo of the Duma attack - which security services say was also the work of Jewish extremists - the firebomb was hurled into the house at night while the family slept. One of the firebombs bounced off the window and failed to penetrate the home, preventing a potential tragedy.

The attackers sprayed the words "revenge", "death to the Arabs" and "Jews, awaken" on the door of the home, indicating the attack may have been intended as revenge for Arab terrorism.

During December, the cell threw a CS gas grenade into a home in the Palestinian Arab village of Bitilu, in revenge for the arrest of the suspected Jewish terrorists behind the Duma attack.

In that incident, the father of the family awoke from the noise, and experienced difficulty breathing and irritation to his eyes. He immediately evacuated his wife and infant son from the house - his alertness and quick reactions likely preventing more severe casualties. The attackers spray painted the words "Revenge - regards from the prisoners of Zion" on the wall of the house, in reference for the detained Duma suspects.

The cell members also admitted to torching a number of Palestinian cars over the past few years, including the arson of a car in Bitilu in October 2015, and another car previously in the same village in July 2014.

Indictments are to be filed against the suspects on a number of serious terrorism charges over the coming days.

According to the Shin Bet, the cell was connected to the same collective of several dozen extremists involved or connected to the Duma arson. Known as the "Revolt", the group is not believed to be a centralized organization but a number of independent cells inspired by a fringe extremist ideology which calls for the overthrow of the State of Israel and the imposition of a Jewish Kingdom.