Four people killed and more injured in knife attack at shopping centre in Israel
FOUR people have been killed by a knife wielding maniac in Israel before he was shot dead, police said.
Police said the Arab attacker drove his car into a cyclist and stabbed five people in the southern city of Beersheba.
Amateur video footage posted online appeared to show armed bystanders shooting and killing the attacker at the scene.
Israel police chief Kobi Shabtai that the incident was an abominable killing spree by a terrorist known to security services who had previously served prison time.
He said the attacker appeared to have acted alone.
Shabtai declined to comment further on the suspect, but Israeli media identified the attacker as a 34-year-old Arab man from the nearby Bedouin town of Hura.
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The attack began at a petrol station in Beersheba, shortly past 4:00 pm, according to police and the Magen David Adom emergency medical responders.
Police said the killer got out of his car at the station and stabbed a woman.
He then returned to his vehicle and drove towards a nearby shopping centre, where he rammed the car into a man in his 60s who was riding a bicycle.
After the car-ramming, the suspect left his car and attacked others with a knife, stabbing at least two people.
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Police said that “civilians who were at the scene fired (at the suspect) and neutralised him”, without specifying his condition.
Reports said he was imprisoned for four years after admitting he intended to join the Islamic State group in Syria in 2015.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued a statement of condolences to the families of the victims.
The premier then praised those who shot the alleged assailant, saying they “showed resourcefulness and courage and prevented further casualties”.
“Security forces are on high alert,” he tweeted.
“We will work hard against terrorists. We will pursue them as well and those who help them.”
In the Gaza Strip, some Palestinians were seen distributing sweets to express happiness following the attack and Hamas militant spokesman, Hazem Qassem, praised the attack.
Palestinians have been accused in dozens of stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks targeting Israeli civilians and security personnel in recent years.
Attacks resulting in multiple Israeli fatalities have also been rare in recent years, while Israel’s south, including Beersheba, has largely been spared such violence.