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Indictment: Nazareth Man Fought Five Battles with ISIS

February 1, 2015

An indictment has been filed against a Nazareth resident who was arrested on suspicion of joining Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), it has been cleared for publication Sunday.

The defendant has been named as 20 year-old Mahran Yousef Hahkhmi Khalidi, who was arrested three weeks ago in a joint operation between the Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) and the Israel Police.

An indictment against Khalidi was submitted to the Nazareth District Court Sunday, leveling serious charges against him, including membership and activity in an illegal organization, contacting a foreign agent for that purpose, participating in paramilitary training, traveling abroad illegally and completing property transactions with terrorists.

In early October 2014 Khalidi went to Turkey; from there he connected with an ISIS terrorist through Facebook and established a means of crossing the border to Syria, with the help of an ISIS smuggler.

After crossing the border and enrolling in an ISIS training camp in Yafia, Khalidi met three other Israeli Arabs in the camp: Mohammad Saber Kanana, Marwan Mohammad Kilani and Hamza Magamsa. Magamsa was arrested in November on similar charges on his own return to Israel.

Khalidi spent three weeks in physical fitness training in the camp, including learning how to use weapons and patrol, before being put in a permanent post like other trainee terrorists.

Khalidi, who wanted to volunteer to serve in a special unit, was placed instead to guard ISIS’s base in Fallujah, Iraq, where he underwent expedited weapons operation training and was drafted to take part in active combat. He allegedly participated in no fewer than five battles in the stronghold city, but was wounded while placing explosive charges against advancing Shi’ite forces by an air attack from the international coalition against ISIS.

Khalidi was then evacuated for medical treatment at a hospital in Fallujah controlled by ISIS, and after about three weeks of recuperation and recovery received a special permit to return to Syria to meet with his family.

He was arrested upon his return to Israel via Ben Gurion Airport, and admitted upon his arrest that he had viewed social media content from ISIS online, as well as their videos, and that both had influenced his decision to join the terror group.

In October, sources revealed that no fewer than 30 Arab citizens of Israel have joined ISIS; there is a move in the Knesset to revoke their citizenship.

An ISIS terror cell was recently busted in Hevron too, in an area controlled by the Palestinian Authority; weeks later, a second cell was busted in the north.

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