Arab Pharmacy Student Planned Poison Attacks Against Jews
Muhammad Shalabi, a 22-year-old pharmacy student from Beit Hanina, is accused of planning attacks using poisons and explosives against Jews and security forces. According to the indictment, he purchased chemical materials in Ramallah, conducted an experiment in his home bathtub, and planned to target law enforcement following parking tickets issued to worshippers near a mosque in his neighborhood.
Muhammad Shalabi, a 22-year-old pharmacy student from the Beit Hanina neighborhood in Jerusalem, is accused of planning attacks using chemical materials and explosives with the aim of causing mass casualties among Jewish civilians and security forces. According to the indictment, Shalabi sought to exploit the knowledge he acquired during his studies and his access to chemical materials to carry out high-casualty attacks. Shalabi expressed a desire to carry out a "serious attack" and kill "many Jews." As part of his preparations, he downloaded instructions for making explosives and poisons from Telegram groups affiliated with terrorist organizations, and later purchased chemical materials in Ramallah and stored them in his room in the family home. The indictment further reveals that Shalabi conducted a chemical experiment in his home bathtub to test the materials in his possession. Additionally, Shalabi is attributed with another plan to harm law enforcement personnel in Jerusalem, following parking tickets issued to worshippers near a mosque in his residential neighborhood. In early 2025, he became angered by the issuance of the tickets and began monitoring law enforcement activity in the area for about two months. During this period, Shalabi planned to plant an explosive device where law enforcement personnel used to stand, intending to harm them. He abandoned the plan after the law enforcement personnel stopped coming to the location. The charges describe a suspected attempt to exploit professional knowledge from the field of pharmacy to prepare dangerous means of harm.