The Israel Security Service (Shin Bet) reported the arrest of five suspects in the preparation of a large-scale terrorist attack in Tel Aviv. According to the intelligence service, the detainees were preparing to blow up one of the oldest and largest shopping centers in Tel Aviv, Azrieli, located at the base of the skyscraper complex of the same name.

“Central District police officers, fighters fr om the Giddonim 33 special forces unit and the Shin Bet forces prevented a major terrorist attack at the Azrieli shopping center in Tel Aviv, which was planned by five residents of Taybeh, who established a terrorist cell associated with ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in Russia),” the statement said.

According to the police press service, five Israeli citizens were planning to detonate a truck packed with explosives in the underground garage of the shopping center. The suspects were under investigation for several months and were detained due to the joint actions of the police and the General Security Service.

According to the police, two of the detainees were adherents of the terrorist ideology of ISIS and planned to go to the combat zone, and maintained contact with foreign representatives of the terrorists. During the arrest, weapons were confiscated from the suspects.

In addition, video recordings of the terrorist attacks in Syria found on the detainees confirm that they carefully prepared the action and discussed how much explosives they would need to collapse the towers wh ere the shopping center is located.