By Gil Tanenbaum
JERUSALEM — Four civilians were murdered in a terrorist attack in the city of Beersheba in southern Israel on Tuesday, March 22.
The scene of the terrorist attack in Beersheba, March 22, 2022. (Flash90)
The terrorist — a resident of the Bedouin town of Houra — ran over a cyclist before leaving his vehicle and embarking on a stabbing spree near the Big shopping center. He stabbed to death a gas-station employee and, later, two women and a man. Two other civilians were injured.
The terrorist was shot dead by a bus driver and a second civilian on the scene. He has been identified as Muhammad Abu Al-Kiyan, 34, a former prisoner.
He was arrested in 2015, at which time he admitted to supporting ISIS and attending ISIS meetings in Hura. Al-Kiyan planned to leave for Syria that year to join ISIS.
On June 28, 2015, an indictment was filed in the Beersheba District Court alleging participation in an unauthorized association meeting, conspiracy to commit a crime, attempted activity in an unlawful association and attempted unlawful exit.
The victims were identified as Doris Yahavas, 49, a mother of three children from Moshav Gilat in the Merhavim Regional Council in the south; Rabbi Moshe Kravitzki, a father of four, and Chabad emissary to Beersheba; Laura Yitzhak, 43, a mother of three girls; and Menachem Yehezkel Manuchin, 67.
Barriers were set up at the entrances and exits from Beersheba in an attempt to find more people involved in the attack.
The Egged bus driver who shot and killed the terrorist was identified as 44-year-old Artur Haimov.
A video of the incident shows Haimov pleading with Al-Kiyan to put down his knife. Haimov opened fire after an extended period in which he gave Al-Kiyan a chance to surrender. Local Arabs could also be heard shouting in Arabic for him to put down the knife.
“I got off the bus, I talked to the terrorist,” Haimov told Israel’s Kan 11 News. “I told him to get the knife down. At some point, he attacked me and at my discretion I shot him. I did everything I could do.”
It was later reported that Haimov refused to leave the police station without his weapon and that the police threatened to arrest him if he remained there.
According to police, the weapon was taken “as part of conventional investigative actions at the end of which they will be returned to their owners.”
Police said that this is all part of its routine investigation procedure in these matters and praised Haimov saying, “The citizen who neutralized the terrorist acted resourcefully on the ground and prevented a more severe attack.”
The bus drivers’ union issued a statement saying, “We send condolences to the families of those killed and pray for the healing of the wounded. The bus driver’s resourcefulness prevented the incident from being much more difficult.”
A Hamas spokesman praised the murders, calling the attack a “heroic operation carried out by a Palestinian fighter from the Negev.
“The attack came from the heart of the Negev to emphasize that the idea of resistance is deep and ingrained in our Palestinian people and everyone is willing to carry out these actions.
“What happened inside the occupied interior [i.e. all of Israel and not just the disputed areas] emphasizes to the enemy that he is afraid of this situation that will explode inside the occupied interior,” said the spokesman.
The Islamic Jihad’s Jibril Martyrs Brigades terrorist group said that it welcomed the “heroic operation in Beersheba.”
Neither group claimed responsibility.
In Israel, condemnations and condolences came in from across the political spectrum.
The Arab Ra’am party, part of Israel’s coalition government, condemned that attack, calling it criminal, and sent its condolences to the families of those killed.
“The Arab citizens of the state are law-abiding and are deprived of any factor that uses violence against other citizens,” said the party.
It also called on all citizens to “maintain the common and delicate fabric of life, to take responsibility and to promote a tolerant discourse at this difficult time.”
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered his condolences to the families of those killed and said that he is praying for the well being of the wounded.
He also praised the civilian who shot the terrorist, saying that he, “showed resourcefulness and courage and prevented further casualties.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who was assessing the security situation in the IDF’s Northern Command, said that “security forces are on high alert in the face of all the threats in all sectors”
“We will make sure that whoever encourages the recent attacks or supports them will pay the price.”
Tweeted President Isaac Herzog: “The heart is torn and sore as innocent souls pay the bloody price of hostility and hatred. Terrorism will not overwhelm us or undermine our right to exist in our country.”
JNS contributed to this story.
