(TJV NESWS) Two Arab citizens of Israel were formally indicted Friday for their involvement in a planned terrorist stabbing attack on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during Ramadan last year.

The Haifa District Attorney charged Nur Shabat, from the village of Nahf, and Amir Kiwan, from Deir al-Asad, with terror-related offenses. Shabat, who actively sought out terrorist groups in Judea and Samaria to coordinate attacks against Jews, is accused of plotting the attack and attempting to carry it out. Kiwan assisted him with travel arrangements for the operation.

The two coordinated with a senior member of the Tulkarm Brigade, a known terrorist group, and during a visit to the Temple Mount during Ramadan, devised a plan to target Israeli security forces.

Their arrest came as a result of a joint operation by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Israel Police. Authorities said they take any attempt by Israeli citizens to engage in terrorism extremely seriously.

In a separate incident in April 2023, Shin Bet and the police prevented a shooting attack planned against police officers in Jerusalem. That plot involved a Ramallah-based student in contact with a terrorist operative from Lebanon, who later moved communications to Telegram and received instructions to carry out a deadly attack in exchange for financial compensation.

There was also a 2022 stabbing attempt near the Temple Mount, when a Palestinian attacker shouting “Allahu Akbar” lunged at an Israeli officer. He was shot and wounded at the scene, near the Cotton Merchants Gate.