Islamic State flags discovered in Nazareth Illit on Tuesday. Photo: Israel Police.

JNS.org – Municipal landscapers working in an industrial zone in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth Illit discovered a torn bag containing 56 black Islamic State flags on Tuesday. The flags were handed over to the police and an investigation has been launched, Israel Hayom reported.

Police investigators suspect that the person who possessed the flags was trying to get rid of them. “In light of recent media reports surrounding the [Islamic State’s] illegal status and the illegality of possessing its symbols, it looks as though someone decided against distributing or hanging them,” a police official told Israel’s Channel 2.

About a month ago, membership or any activity suggesting membership in the Sunni terrorist organization was officially outlawed by the Israeli Defense Ministry. Last week, an Israeli Arab high school teacher was arrested on suspicion of supporting Islamic State after a search of his Umm al-Fahm home revealed Islamic State flags and jihadist propaganda materials.