Israeli soldier shoots, kills civilian after mistaking him for a terrorist

The victim was reportedly armed with a knife and suffered from mental health issues.

By JNS

An Israel Defense Forces soldier shot and killed a civilian at a bus stop at Ra’anana Junction in Kfar Saba, near Tel Aviv, on Monday, after mistaking him for a terrorist.

The man apparently suffered from mental health issues, and the soldier interpreted his behavior as an attempted terror attack, Israel Police said in a statement.

According to Ynet, the civilian was armed with a knife and approached the bus station in a suspicious manner. The soldier saw the man attack a second person at the bus stop before opening fire, Israel Hayom reported.

The incident was still under investigation, though terrorism has been ruled out, police said.

A second individual at the scene was moderately wounded by a ricochet and evacuated to the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, police and paramedics said.

CounterterrorismIDF soldiers