First publication: Another Shalit deal prisoner arrested on suspicion of returning to terrorism

Muhammad Zidad, a 71-year-old Israeli Arab released in the Shalit deal, was arrested on suspicion of filming Jews on the Temple Mount and possessing terrorist images. According to the Shin Bet, over 50% of those released in the deal have returned to terrorism.

Muhammad Zidad, a 71-year-old Israeli Arab resident of Acre, was arrested in recent days on suspicion of committing a security offense and involvement in an act of terrorism. According to the suspicion, Zidad filmed groups of Jews within the Temple Mount area. In his past, he was convicted of involvement in an attack where a grenade was thrown at an Egged bus, sentenced to life imprisonment, and released as part of the Shalit deal in 2011 after serving 24 years in prison. During a search of his home, three mobile phones were seized; on one of them, an image of a terrorist was used as the background, and in the photo gallery, additional images of terrorists were found. Zidad claimed that the image changes automatically, but his version did not convince the investigators. His arrest highlights the Shin Bet statistic that over 50% of those released in the Shalit deal have returned to terrorism. The case joins a series of released prisoners arrested recently, including a terrorist activist from Bethlehem arrested on September 3 in Ma'ale Adumim.