A vehicle rammed into pedestrians in northern Israel on Thursday in what police described as a ‘suspected terror attack’, with 12 people said to have been injured.
The attack took place at 4:18pm on Highway 65 at the Karkur junction south of the city of Haifa. Hillel Yaffe Medical Centre, a nearby hospital said it had received ten people.
One is in a critical condition, two are in a serious condition, one is in a moderate condition and six are in a mild condition.
‘There is suspicion that this is a terror attack. Police forces successfully intercepted a suspicious vehicle, apprehending a suspect suspected to be responsible for the ramming’, police said in a statement.
An Israel Police spokesperson said that ‘according to initial details, the person arrested by the officers is the one who carried out the attack.’
‘The terrorist ran over several people at a bus station, then proceeded to stab others and crashed into a police vehicle.’
Israeli cops said they had shot the attacker dead, describing him as a 24-year-old Israeli Arab from Ma’ale Iron with no criminal or security record. They are still investigating the attack, and are considering all possible motives and causes.
But KAN, Israel’s public broadcaster, cited police sources as saying the attacker was a 53-year-old Palestinian from northern Samaria who was married to an Israeli citizen and lived in Israel illegally.
Hamas has since welcomed the attack, claiming it was a ‘natural response to Israel’s aggression and crimes and attempts to Judaize and take over the holy sites.’
The terror group called on others to escalate violent actions and carry out attacks against Israeli territory.
Maya, an eyewitness, told Haaretz she saw a large black vehicle moving toward the bus stop in the junction and hitting people who were standing in it.
‘We ran, it was a big mess, he just came straight at all the people at the stop,’ she said, adding: ‘It was clear he came with intention, and drove as fast as he could, then moved on.’
Yoni, another eyewitness, told Israel Hayom: ‘There were young men standing on the sidewalk There’s a bus stop there. A car came speeding, veered onto the sidewalk, hit them, and fled.
‘It was chaotic and tense. People who were there tried to help the injured until the ambulances arrived.’
Paramedic Avi Cohen told local media that emergency services arrived at a ‘complex scene with a lot of commotion.’
He added: ‘They were near a bus stop at the Pardes Hanna Junction, in the westbound lane, when the vehicle hit them. When we arrived, they were lying in the back area.
‘We immediately began providing medical treatment, including stopping bleeding and bandaging wounds.’
Eli Bin, the director-general of Israel’s ambulance service, told local media: ‘Some of the injured were found scattered across the site. We are not yet sure if this was due to an attempt to flee or the force of the impact.’
Just last week, Israel narrowly avoided mass carnage after three empty buses exploded into fireballs, with officials warning the blazes could have been fatal but detonators’ timers had been set for the wrong time.
Shocking footage shows smoke rising into the sky while fire leaps from the vehicles, with snaps of the aftermath showing the charred remains.
Israeli forces quickly labelled the horror, which unfolded around 9pm local time last Thursday, a ‘suspected terror attack’ as more bombs were found on other buses.
Police are investigating the explosion adding ‘large forces are at the scenes, searching for suspects’.
A defence official has stated incendiary devices were accidentally set for 9pm instead of 9am.
Local forces confirmed three bombs exploded while two were being defused at separate locations with fears ‘hundreds could have died’ had the devices set off as intended.
