Murder of Itamar Ben Gal
| 2018 Ariel stabbing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict | |
 Ariel, where the attack took place | |
  | |
| Location | Ariel, Judea and Samaria Area |
| Coordinates | 32°06′25″N 35°09′54″E / 32.10694°N 35.16500°E |
| Date | 5 February 2018 10:45 a.m. (UTC+02:00) |
Attack type | Stabbing |
| Weapons | Knife |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Victim | Itamar Ben Gal |
| Perpetrator | Abed al-Karim Adel Assi |
On 5 February 2018, 29-year-old Rabbi Itamar Ben Gal from Har Brakha, was stabbed to death in the West Bank Israeli settlement and city of Ariel. The assailant has escaped from the scene but was arrested following a six-week manhunt. A protestor was killed during a violent demonstration against searching for the suspect.
Incident
The attack occurred at the entrance to Ariel. An Israeli civilian was attacked in a hitchhiking station by a man who stabbed him multiple times in its upper body.[1][2][3]
Perpetrator is said to have decided to kill a Jew during an argument with a policeman at a road junction near Ariel. He purchased two knives, each 27-centimeters-long, a store in Nablus, and returned to the junction. There, he identified Rabbi Ben Gal as a Jew due to the fact that he was wearing a kippah. He attacked Ben Gal, and gave chase when Ben Gal ran away. Perpetrator was stopped form pursuing his victim when he was struck by a passing car.[4]
Perpetrator
Abed al-Karim Adel Assi, a 19 year-old Israeli Arab resident of Jaffa, was behind the attack.[5] His parents are separated. Assis' father lives in Nablus; his mother lives in Haifa. Assis is known to have resided at one time in a home for at-risk youth and to have received social services aid over the years.[6]
Manhunt
During the manhunt for Assi, there were clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian rioters in the city of Nablus, and the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that a Palestinian man, Khaled Tayeh, died.[7]
The six-week manhunt ended with capture of perpetrator.[8]
Legal proceedings
Assi was indicted for murder and charged with selecting his victim because he was a Jew.[4]
See also
- List of terrorist incidents in February 2018
- List of violent incidents in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, 2018
References
- ^ "Israeli stabbed to death in West Bank attack, assailant on the loose". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ "Israeli killed in terror stabbing attack in West Bank". Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ "Man stabbed in Ariel terror attack pronounced dead; terrorist escaped". Ynetnews. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Arab-Israeli terrorist indicted for stabbing rabbi in West Bank". i24News. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ Porat, Ido Ben (6 February 2018). "'My husband will not return to the community he loved so much'". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ Magid, Jacob (5 February 2018). "Ariel terrorist has Israeli citizenship, lived in Jaffa". Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ "One Palestinian reported killed, 110 wounded in clashes with IDF". Jerusalem Post. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ Ahronheim, Anna (18 March 2017). "Security forces capture terrorist who stabbed Itamar Ben-Gal to death". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
