Overview
- Prosecutors filed the formal indictment with the Lod District Court on Monday charging a Bar‑Ilan mathematics lecturer with preparing a terror attack, extortion by threats, and obstruction of justice.
- The filing describes a plan called “AIT” that would split 72 attackers into 12 six‑person cells to carry out simultaneous strikes in mixed cities and Arab communities aimed at causing mass casualties and population flight.
- The accused was arrested about two weeks before the indictment and remains unnamed under a court gag order as prosecutors ask the court to keep him detained pending further proceedings.
- Prosecutors say the suspect conducted reconnaissance near Arab communities, tried for roughly 18 months to recruit supporters, attempted to enlist IDF members for assistance, and sought to recruit far‑right politician Moshe Feiglin, later sending a threatening letter when Feiglin did not respond.
- The case underlines tensions since the 2023 war and raises political and security questions about extremist networks, possible outreach into security forces, and how courts and universities will respond as the probe moves through the Lod District Court.