Israel Charges Belarus-Born Convert to Islam with IS Ties

[TomSea]

Israel Charges Belarus-Born Convert to Islam with IS Ties

Israeli prosecutors filed charges Wednesday against a Belarus-born immigrant accused of seeking to join the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in Syria, security and justice sources said.

Valentin Mazlevski, 39, who immigrated to Israel in 1996, is the first Jewish-born Israeli to be charged for having IS ties, according to the Shin Bet domestic security service.

He was arrested in February, a few weeks after a failed attempt to fly from Israel to Turkey, from where he allegedly planned to cross into Syria to join IS forces, according to the indictment released by the justice ministry.

In 2000, while performing compulsory service in the Israeli military, Mazlevski converted to Islam after meeting the Israeli Arab Muslim woman who would become his wife and mother of his five children.

According to the charge sheet, Mazlevski had recently become interested in IS and frequently viewed its online content.

Continued: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/226272-israel-charges-belarus-born-convert-to-islam-with-is-ties