Israeli police arrest eight terror suspects in Tel Aviv who were reportedly planning imminent attacks

Israeli police arrested eight terror suspects in northern Tel Aviv on Sunday evening. At least two of them are Palestinian Arabs residing illegally in Israel.

The suspects were transferred to the Shin Bet intelligence agency for further interrogation after authorities received intelligence that they were planning imminent terrorist attacks in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Israel's Channel 12 reported.

"During a joint operation by the Israel Police and the Shin Bet, two suspects who were illegal residents were arrested in Tel Aviv. They are being transferred for further investigation," the police stated after the arrest. Israeli authorities reportedly uncovered secret laboratories that were used for preparing explosive devices, an indication that a sophisticated terror plot was being planned. 

There have been growing attempts amid the Gaza war to carry out terror attacks inside Israel and against Israeli residents living in Judea and Samaria. Two weeks ago, Israeli police and Shin Bet jointly foiled a terrorist cell in East Jerusalem. A Shin Bet undercover agent named “Matrix” reportedly played a central role behind the successful counterterrorism operation.

The two Palestinians were identified as Walid and Nidal Shahin, a father and his son, both residents of the Arab town Kafr Aqab in East Jerusalem. The suspects reportedly planned to carry out bombing attacks adjacent to checkpoints and against an undisclosed club in central Israel. 

Another unnamed suspect is reportedly an Israeli Jew who converted to Islam and became radicalized. 

Last October, two Palestinian terrorists murdered at least 7 Israelis and injured 15 people in a terror shooting in Jaffa in southern Tel Aviv next to a local light rail station. 

“Two terrorists came to Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa and started shooting civilians,” Israel Police spokesman Aryeh Moron stated at the time. “The two terrorists were eliminated – but we are continuing the investigation, trying to locate collaborators,” he added.

It is to date one of the most lethal terrorist attacks in Israel since the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Additionally, last November, Israel uncovered a large Iranian weapons smuggling operation in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank. 

“This is part of an ongoing Iranian campaign to destabilize the region's security by arming terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria, to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” an Israeli military spokesperson stated. 

The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has prevented at least 50 Iranian-backed terrorist plots against Israelis and Jews worldwide since the Oct. 7 attack. The Iranian regime actively cooperates with criminal networks in Europe and beyond.