Jewish Israeli convert to Islam held on suspicion of seeking to join Daesh

A Jewish Israeli convert to Islam suspected of attempting to join Daesh has been arrested, Israeli authorities confirmed yesterday.

The Shin Bet (General Security Service), which is in charge of internal security intelligence, said that Belarus-born Israeli soldier, Valentin Vladimir Mazalewski, was arrested last month for allegedly trying to  join the ranks of Daesh in Syria.

Mazalewski immigrated to Israel from Belarus in 1996. According to the Shin Bet, he converted to Islam in 2000 after meeting his current spouse, an Israeli Arab from Shibli in northern Israel, during his army service.

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Haaretz newspaper reported Israeli intelligence, Shin Bet, saying that Mazalewski was active in online forums of Daesh supporters, where he expressed his intentions of leaving for Syria and attempted to coordinate his arrival with members of the group.

Mazalewski, a 40-year-old father of five, allegedly bought a one-way ticket to Turkey, planning to cross the border to Syria and join the jihadist group, Shin Bet said.

Israeli source have also reported that over the past three months, the Shin Bet arrested a number of Israeli citizens suspected of jihadist activity. The majority of those arrested were Israeli Arabs rather than Palestinians from the West Bank. In most cases, they were arrested either because they were in internet contact with Daesh activists overseas, or because they were planning terror attacks.

Others were arrested when they tried to go to Iraq or Syria to fight with Daesh and, in a few cases people were arrested upon returning from those countries.