Police suspect ramming attack in Glilot was terrorist attack, motivated by nationalism

Investigators from the Central Unit of the Tel Aviv District have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of the Glilot truck ramming on Sunday, during which 36 civilians were wounded and one person was killed, the Police Spokesperson announced on Tuesday. 

Israeli media reports identified the truck driver to be Rami Nasrallah Nator, an Israeli-Arab man from Qalansawe, who was reportedly known to have a criminal history. 

Following the attack, police deployed large forces to the area and asked drivers to divert their routes from the area. 

Investigators have collected dozens of testimonies from eyewitnesses involved in the incident, and forensic investigators retrieved media files from cameras that captured parts of the ramming, the police said. 

According to the initial investigation, a police officer who was nearby at the time of the ramming climbed into the driver's cabin and was attacked by the truck driver with a rod, which was shown in body camera footage. 

As a result, the officer fell out of the cabin and immediately fired a shot in the air, the police said. 

Police analyzing footage

Soldiers at the scene noticed the incident, leading them to fire at the driver and kill him. 

Based on the footage, which shows the truck being deliberately directed at civilians without any attempt to brake (no skid marks on the road) and even accelerating speed, the police said that suspicion is growing that the ramming was carried out with a nationalistic motive and classified as a terrorist attack.

An initial autopsy report on the body of the truck driver indicated no suspicion of a medical incident on that day, despite previous reports, police noted. 

Yael Halfon and Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report.