Prison (illustrative)
Prison (illustrative)iStock

The Be'er Sheva District Court on Monday handed an Israeli-Arab citizen a 7.5-year prison sentence for planning to carry out an attack on IDF soldiers, Kikar Hashabbat reported.

Mohammed Masri, who lives in the central Arab city of Tira, is part of a terror cell which planned to kidnap IDF soldiers in Be'er Sheva and harm them.

Masri and two of the other suspects - Firas al-Omari and Mahmoud Lawisi - are affiliated with the Islamic Movement. A fourth suspect, Abdullah Abu Ayish, worked with the others but is not affiliated with the terror group.

According to the indictments, Masri, Lawisi, and Ayish were employed at Almshdaoi King Store, where they met and became acquainted.

After the Israeli government banned the Islamic Movement, the three suspects decided to carry out a terror attack against IDF soldiers. Masri told Ayish of his intention to carry out an attack, but Ayish took no further action.

The planned attack would have included an attack on a bus stop or military base by means of shooting at IDF soldiers, ramming them, or stabbing them.