Israel: Moroccan national with US Green Card wounds 4 in Tel Aviv stabbing attack, shot dead (WATCH)
A Moroccan national with a US green card injured four people in a terror stabbing spree in Tel Aviv's Nahalat Binyamin, before being shot dead by off-duty security forces.
FollowA violent stabbing spree in a bustling Tel Aviv neighbourhood in Israel left four people injured on Tuesday evening. The assailant, identified as Moroccan national Abdelaziz Kaddi, was shot dead at the scene by off-duty security forces after launching an attack in Nahalat Binyamin, a trendy area popular with locals and tourists.
The victims, including two men aged 24 and 28 who were in moderate condition, as well as a 24-year-old and a 59-year-old in good condition, were rushed to Ichilov Hospital by Magen David Adom paramedics.
Kaddi, a US green card holder, had entered Israel on a tourist visa on January 18. Upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, immigration officials flagged him as a security risk. However, despite concerns raised by the authorities, Kaddi was allowed entry into Israel after a security assessment, which did not provide grounds to prevent his entry.
Israel’s Interior Minister, Moshe Arbel, expressed regret over the decision, calling for an investigation into why Kaddi was permitted to enter the country. "To my regret, they decided to allow his entry into Israel," Arbel said in a statement. The Shin Bet security agency confirmed it was investigating the incident.
The attack marks the second stabbing incident in Tel Aviv within three days. On January 18, a separate stabbing in the city injured a man in his 30s, with the assailant, identified as 19-year-old Salah Yahye from Tulkarem in the West Bank, also shot dead by security forces.
Witnesses to Tuesday's attack described the assailant arriving on a motorcycle driven by another individual who quickly fled the scene. Off-duty members of a special forces unit who witnessed the assault attempted to intervene, firing at Kaddi when he ignored their commands to stop.
Israel Police have launched an investigation into the attack and are searching for potential accomplices, combing the surrounding area for clues.
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