The State Attorney's Office filed an indictment Thursday with the Jerusalem District Court against Muhammad Shalabi, 22, of Beit Hanina. He is accused of planning terrorist attacks against security forces and Jewish civilians using explosive devices and deadly poisons.
According to the indictment, filed by attorney Amichai Marks of the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office, Shalabi is a third-year pharmacy student who also worked as a pharmacist's assistant. Prosecutors allege that he underwent a process of ideological radicalization, partly following the events of October 7 and the Swords of Iron War, and systematically consumed content associated with Hamas and ISIS.
According to the charges, Shalabi eventually decided to exploit the knowledge he had acquired during his studies and his access to chemical substances to carry out terrorist attacks.
The first plot attributed to him began in early 2025, following his anger over parking tickets issued to worshippers near a mosque in the Beit Hanina neighborhood. According to prosecutors, Shalabi planned to plant an explosive device at a location where enforcement officers regularly stood and monitored their activities for approximately two months.
As part of his preparations, he allegedly downloaded instructions for making explosives from the internet. The plot was ultimately abandoned after enforcement officers stopped visiting the location where he intended to carry out the attack.
Subsequently, according to the indictment, Shalabi began planning a larger-scale attack in which he sought, in his own words, to kill "lots of Jews."
To that end, he joined Telegram groups associated with terrorist organizations, including an ISIS-affiliated group, and downloaded dozens of files containing instructions for preparing explosive devices, explosives, and deadly poisons.
Prosecutors allege that Shalabi copied formulas for preparing poisons capable of causing death through skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion into a notebook. He also documented substances that could be used to manufacture explosives.
According to the indictment, his preparations were not limited to online activity. Shalabi traveled to Ramallah on two occasions, where he purchased chemical substances and equipment.
He allegedly split the purchases into separate transactions to avoid arousing suspicion and subsequently stored the materials in his bedroom at home.
Prosecutors further allege that Shalabi conducted a chemical experiment in his bathroom, during which he ignited a mixture he had prepared to test the substances.
Later, according to the indictment, he deleted files and his search history from his phone in an attempt to conceal his activities.
The State Attorney's Office has asked the court to order Shalabi's detention until the conclusion of the legal proceedings against him.