Six people were wounded, two of them critically, in a stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Hadera on Wednesday– with wild footage showing the suspected terrorist being cornered and shot by armed civilians.
The moped-riding suspect stabbed victims at four different locations before he stopped by bystanders on what looked like a side street, verified footage of the confrontation showed.
The civilians could be heard yelling at the suspect in Hebrew and English to “get onto the floor,” but he appeared to ignore them.
At least two shots were fired in the man’s direction, though it was not clear if he was hit before a police officer arrived.
The police shoved the suspect to the ground near the back of a nearby car, and shouted at the others not to shoot anymore.
The suspect was later identified by the Hebrew-language media as a 36-year-old Arab Israeli resident of Umm al-Fham, near Jenin, the Times of Israel reported.
Two of the stabbing victims initially listed as seriously injured have deteriorated to critical condition, Magen David Adom chief Eli Bin said.
Three others were in serious condition, and the fourth was moderately wounded, he added.
Four of the victims had already undergone surgery, Dr. Jalal Ashkar of the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center told the Times of Israel.
The stabbing spree came two days after the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel.
“This is a difficult day for Hadera, but the heroism of our residents who assisted in the capture of the terrorist proves the importance of vigilance,” Hadera Mayor Nir Ben Haim said of the incident.
“The results of the attack could have been much more severe. I want to thank each and every one of you for your composure and resourcefulness.”
Local police chief Daniel Levy spoke from the scene, where he seemed to imply that his force could not actively prevent other terror attacks, the Times of Israel reported.
“I want to stress that the Israel Police, these days, as you understand, is stretched to the limit,” he said.
“My heart is with the injured, but it seems like this is what we’ll have to face in this period and we need to be strong.”
Israel has been on high alert since the Hamas assault a year ago sparked the war in Gaza, while the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon continues to escalate.
With Post wires
