Four Israeli citizens were arrested in recent weeks on suspicion of planning a shooting attack on soldiers in the northern city of Karmiel, police and Shin Bet said Monday.

The four defendants, all residents of northern Israel, include 19-year-old Ahmad Sarhan, 18-year-old Muhammad Khalil and two minors, the statement said, adding that all four were set to be indicted.

According to police, the suspects trained and received instruction in preparation for the attack, and one of the minors expressed support for the Islamic State.

Police published blurred footage showing National Guard officers raiding the home of at least one of the suspects.

The suspects “conspired to carry out serious action against security forces,” police and the Shin Bet said.

The agencies “view with great seriousness the involvement of Israeli citizens in activities that could endanger the security of the state and its citizens,” they said.

In July 2024, an Israeli citizen from the northern Arab town of Nahf killed an off-duty soldier and wounded another person in a stabbing rampage in Karmiel. The soldier, 19-year-old Sgt. Aleksandr Iakiminskyi managed to shoot the attacker dead before succumbing to his own wounds.

Nahf’s mayor Muhammad Zuri condemned the attack at the time, stressing his town has long maintained good relations with neighboring Jewish communities.

A number of Arab citizens of Israel have been arrested in recent years on suspicion of planning attacks after swearing allegiance to ISIS, including five residents of central Israel’s Taybeh who, police in October 2024 said, had plotted a car-bombing attack at Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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