(Ha'aretz) Noa Shpigel - A Haifa court on Monday sentenced Ahmad Shurbaji, 23, from Umm al-Fahm, who took part in training with Islamic State fighters in Syria, to 22 months in prison. The court accepted the state's argument that "going to an enemy country for military training, especially Syria and most especially for training with Islamic State, is an offense that poses a great threat to Israel's security." The verdict stated that Arab citizens of Israel who return from fighting in Syria could potentially use their acquired military expertise to act against Israel or to create ties between returning fighters and global Islamic Jihad fighters. The court ruled that even a potential threat establishes jurisdiction, and that "a country that is defending itself must not wait for the threat to go from theory into practice." During Shurbaji's stay in Syria he took part in several armed battles waged by Islamic State. He attended a week-long military training session, took part in lessons on Sunni and Shia Islam, and practiced shooting rifles and using a variety of weapons. So far, two Israeli Arabs have been reported killed fighting alongside ISIS.
2014-11-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive