Father, son, and another resident indicted: supplied gun to Be'er Sheva attacker

The Southern District Attorney's Office has filed indictments against three Negev residents, including a father and his son, for supplying a gun and ammunition to the terrorist Ahmad al-Uqbi, who carried out the shooting attack at the Be'er Sheva central bus station in October 2024. The defendants knew the terrorist intended to advance a terror attack in which Border Police officer Shira Suslik was killed. The three were arrested in September based on Shin Bet intelligence.

The Southern District Attorney's Office today (Thursday) submitted serious indictments to the Be'er Sheva District Court against three Israeli citizens, residents of the Negev, for supplying weapons to the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack at the Be'er Sheva central bus station. In the attack, which occurred on October 6, 2024, Border Police patrol officer Staff Sergeant Shira Chaya Suslik, 19, was killed, and additional civilians were wounded. The filing of the indictments comes at the conclusion of an investigation by the Israel Security Agency and the counter-terrorism unit of the Southern District Police. The three were arrested during September by undercover Border Police officers in the South, directed by the Shin Bet. The defendants are Yahya al-Uqbi, about 26, a resident of Hura, and two additional involved parties – a father and his son, who was a minor at the time of the acts, residents of the al-Uqbi encampment. Investigation findings indicate that the defendants conducted a deal to purchase a weapon, and as part of it supplied the terrorist Ahmad al-Uqbi with a gun and ammunition, while being aware that he might be interested in advancing a terror attack. The indictments attribute to them offenses of trading and possessing weapons and ammunition, along with providing means for committing an act of terror.