Police and the Shin Bet said on 2 November that Mohammed Sweitat, 21, of Shefa-Amr, would be indicted for active ISIS membership. The Jerusalem Post and Israel National News reported the joint announcement. Prosecutors were to file the case at Haifa Magistrate’s Court on Monday morning. The charge is active membership in a terrorist organization.
Pledges, posts, and friends
Sweitat was arrested on 28 September by the Shin Bet and the Northern District police central investigative unit on suspicion of security offenses, the Jerusalem Post reported. Investigators alleged that he supported ISIS ideology, consumed its material, and swore allegiance several times. He allegedly published ISIS content online, corresponded with supporters of the organization, and tried to persuade friends to back its cause in order to advance its activities. Israel National News, which used the Hebrew place name Shfaram, reported the same core: pledges, online propaganda, and attempted recruitment among friends. He had been in custody about a month while both agencies questioned his ties and his online work.
The Shin Bet and police said they view Israeli citizens’ involvement in activity endangering state security and the public with severity and would use their legal powers to bring those involved to justice. The indictment path is Haifa Magistrate’s Court, the charge is active membership, and the alleged conduct is allegiance, propaganda, correspondence with ISIS supporters, and recruitment of friends inside Israel.
Sweitat’s case is a domestic ISIS file: a 21-year-old from Shefa-Amr, arrested in September, headed to indictment in November on an active-membership count. Police and the Shin Bet closed the investigation and sent him to court. That is the 2 November announcement.