Ami Popper
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2010) |
| Ami Popper | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 Israel |
| Conviction(s) | 7 counts of murder |
| Penalty | 7 lifetimes, later commuted to 40 years |
| Status | prisoner |
| Spouse | was Sarah Popper[1] |
Ami Popper (Hebrew: עמי פופר; born 1969) is an Israeli convicted of murder.
Contents |
[edit] Murders
Popper, a former dishonorably-discharged soldier, put on his Israeli army uniform on 20 May 1990 and asked men waiting at a bus stop in the Israeli town of Rishon Lezion for their identity cards. After confirming they were Arabs he lined them up and opened fire, killing seven. Within an hour, he was arrested by Israeli police.
After his act, seven more Palestinians were killed at the hands of Israeli security forces during riots, with 700 injured.
Popper first told police that his attacks was a reaction to the First Intifada, later claiming to have been distraught because his girlfriend had decided to leave him. He also stated that he had been raped by an Arab when he was 13 and had committed these killings out of shame and a desire for revenge.[2]
[edit] Imprisonment and aftermath
Popper was charged and convicted of seven acts of murder in March 1991. In prison he became religious and in June 1993 he married a Canadian woman from a family of Kach activists. They had three children.
In February 1999 Popper's sentence was commuted from seven life terms to 40 years. Currently he is expected to be released on parole in 2023, after 33 years in prison.[citation needed]
On 17 January 2007, while on a 48-hour furlough, Popper was involved in a car accident he caused by crossing a solid line, hitting oncoming traffic. His wife and one of his sons were killed in the accident. Popper himself was moderately injured. Israeli police reported that Popper's license had expired in 1999.[1] Police reports say Popper was driving without a license. Initial reports indicate family's children were not wearing seatbelts in the backseat.
Right wing and Orthodox politicians in Israel have demanded his release along with other Israeli prisoners who were convicted of murder or other violence committed against Palestinians, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners who committed murder or violence against Israelis.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Israel News". YnetNews.Com. January 18, 2007. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3354022,00.html.
- ^ Ami Pedahzur, Arie Perliger. Jewish Terrorism in Israel. Columbia University Press.
[edit] External links
- Middle East Israeli killers' sentences reduced February 4, 1999, BBC
