IDF reservist arrested in Jerusalem after shooting Arab in racist attack

An IDF reservist was arrested in Jerusalem after using his IDF-sanctioned gun in early August to shoot at an Arab man at a park in what Israel Police and the Shin Bet call a “nationalistic” attack.

The police revealed that his arrest was extended, the investigation was completed, and an indictment is expected any day now.

Earlier in August, a 34-year-old IDF reservist left his house armed with a weapon that he kept as part of his reserve service. He went to a nearby park, Hamesila Park, with the sole goal of finding a victim of Arab origin and attacking them.

Suspect meticulously picked out victims

When the suspect identified a potential victim, he sat him down on a bench by the side of the road and began interrogating him while holding the weapon to his body.

After the suspect was convinced that the victim was of Arab origin, he drew his weapon and tried to shoot him, but the victim managed to deflect the gun down and flee the scene.

The suspect then continued in his search for an Arab person to attack, asking passersby where he can find an Arab.

The victim immediately reported the incident to the police, and the suspect was arrested a little under a week later.

In his investigation, the suspect claimed that he had fired a “deterrence shot” at the victim, despite conflicting evidence gathered by investigators from the Jerusalem Police Department and the Shin Bet.

After the suspect's arrest was extended, a court of law placed the case under gag order. The prosecutor’s statement was submitted to the court on Thursday before the expected indictment.

“The General Security Service and the Israel Police take threats to innocent lives made on a racial and ideologically motivated basis by those who have been entrusted with weapons to protect the security of the state very seriously and consider them acts of terrorism, with all that implies,” Israel Police and the Shin Bet said in a joint statement.