(JTA) — The Islamic State said it is holding an Arab-Israeli that it claims is an Israeli spy.
The terrorist group’s online English-language magazine Dabiq reported that it was holding Muhammad Musallam, 19, of eastern Jerusalem, who it says posed as a foreign fighter for ISIS in order to spy for the Mossad, Israel’s spy agency.
Dabiq reported that Musallam was captured after he called his father, breaking his cover.
“I say to all those who want to spy on the Islamic State, don’t think that you’re so smart and that you can deceive the Islamic State. You won’t succeed at all,” Dabiq quoted Musallam as saying.
Musallam traveled to Turkey on Oct. 24 in order to fight for Islamic State in Syria, an Israeli official told Reuters, and affirmed that he was not a Mossad operative.
His family, denying he was a Mossad spy, confirmed in an interview with Haaretz that he was captured in Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria, according to the Times of Israel.
The Islamic State magazine quoted Musallam as saying he was recruited for the Mossad by a Jewish neighbor and that he accepted the job due to the attractive salary and incentives. It is not known if the interview is authentic.
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