An Israeli soldier shot and killed a man at a bus station in Ra'anana early Monday morning after he approached him, claiming that a terrorist attack is occurring and that someone was stabbed.
Before being shot by the soldier, the man had tried to stab two people with a knife, including a girl who got scared and ran away, a bus driver who noticed that she was in distress, opened the door to his bus and let her get on.
The man then attacked another person, ran to the soldier and shouted "terrorist attack" - and the soldier ran toward the scene, identified the suspect, and shot him dead after attempting to have him lower the knife, according to local eyewitnesses.
Other civilians shouted to the soldier "take him down," according to Ynet. The second person who was attacked received light-moderate injuries after being hit by ricochets from gunfire.
An Israel Police investigation is underway to try to understand why the soldier shot a burst of gunfire at the man, and if the shooting was carried out according to procedures.
The soldier was questioned by a joint investigation team that included the IDF and the Israel Police.
He gave his version of the incident and was released at the end of questioning back to his unit after investigators gave credence to his version of events, according to Maariv.
Col. Avi Amiram and Capt. Yossi Elbaz, who represent the soldier on behalf of the chief military defense, said that he acted as required and as requested under the special circumstances of the situation he found himself in, according to Army Radio. The soldier sends his condolences to the family of the deceased.
Suspected mentally-ill man
The attacking man was already arrested for assault and threatening others a few years ago but was found mentally incompetent to stand trial, according to the recommendation of the district psychiatrist, and was sent to forced hospitalization.
The court's decision at the time stated that "the man is a danger to society, and his condition requires hospitalization. The maximum period of hospitalization according to Article 192 of the Penal Code is three years."
A neighbor from the building where the man lived in Pardes Hana told Ynet that "he used to live here with his girlfriend who left him some time ago. He became more religious recently and wore a kippah and tassels. I saw a religious man coming to him a few times, he was emitting empathy, but something didn't feel right."
"He used to live here with his girlfriend who left him some time ago. He became more religious recently and wore a kippah and tassels. I saw a religious man coming to him a few times, he was emitting empathy, but something didn't feel right."
Deceased man's neighbor