In a joint operation, Shabak (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police arrested an Arab man suspected of carrying out a shooting attack in Umm al-Fahm.
The arrest occurred within the past few weeks, and the shooting, which targeted police officers, appears to have been nationalistic in nature.
The suspect, identified as Mohammed Mahadi Agbariya, 35, is an Israeli resident of the northern Arab village of Mu'awiya, in the Wadi Ara area. He was arrested during a joint interrogation of Shabak and the central office of the Coastal District in Israel Police, on suspicion of carrying out a shooting, using his gun, and firing towards police officers who were operating to return order to the area on May 15, 2021, during violent riots near entrance to Umm al-Fahm.
At the time of his arrest, Agbariya threw shingles from his roof at the security forces, causing injury to those forces conducting the arrest.
In his interrogation with Shabak, it was revealed that he had conducted the shooting attack out of nationalist motives, and handed over the weapon he had used during the shooting.
Following the interrogation and in accordance with its findings, a serious indictment was submitted Friday to the Haifa District Court, charging the suspect with serious security crimes, including crimes of committing an act of terror and aggravated assault causing injury, using weapons for the purpose of terror, and attempted murder as part of a terror attack. In addition, the indictment includes a request to extend Agbariya's arrest until the completion of legal proceedings against him.
"The Israel Security Agency and Israel Police take very seriously the involvement of Israeli citizens in terror," Shabak and Israel Police said in a joint statement. "Therefore, we will continue to use every means at our disposal in order to thwart the threat and to bring to harsh justice all of those involved."