The Southern District Prosecutor’s Office on Monday filed an indictment in the Be’er Sheva District Court against Islam Alzana, a 21-year-old resident of the Bedouin town of Lakiya in the Negev, on charges of incitement to terror, identification with a terrorist organization, and multiple weapons offenses.
Alzana was arrested several weeks ago in a joint operation by the Shin Bet security service and the Southern District’s central investigative unit of the Israel Police.
During his interrogation, investigators uncovered extensive activity on social media accounts he operated on Instagram and TikTok, where he shared content praising the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) and its extremist ideology.
According to the indictment, Alzana used public profiles with hundreds of followers to repost ISIS propaganda videos, including speeches by the group’s leaders, jihadist songs (“nasheeds”), and violent imagery.
The prosecution alleged that the content amounted to public expressions of support and identification with a terrorist organization, and posed a real risk of encouraging acts of terror.
The indictment also details weapons charges: Alzana admitted in questioning that he had unlawfully possessed and fired an M16 rifle near his home in Lakiya in early 2023, and had also held an illegal handgun. During the investigation, he surrendered an M16 rifle to authorities.
A danger to public safety
Prosecutors are seeking to keep him in custody until the end of proceedings, citing his “dangerousness to public safety” and the heightened security situation. In its detention request, the prosecution emphasized the Supreme Court’s rulings that illegal weapons possession, especially when coupled with ideological support for terror groups, represents a severe risk to the public.
Filed on the first of the month, Alzana’s indictment includes seven counts of expressing identification with a terrorist organization, one count of incitement to terror, and several weapons charges.