Police: Acre Car Ramming Was Terrorist Attack

Jerusalem, 4 March, 2018 (TPS) -- 12:00 Three soldiers were hit by a car in two separate locations in the city of Acre in northern Israel. The driver was shot and is in critical condition according to paramedics at the scene.  Police are looking into the background of the incident, a spokesman said.

12:05 A spokesman for the Zaka emergency response group said a Border Police officer had suffered moderate wounds and two soldiers were lightly injured in the incident.

12:35 Shai Markovitz a first response volunteer who was among the first at the scene said: “When I arrived at the scene, together with other first response volunteers from United Hatzalah who live near where the incident occurred, I found a driver who was critically injured after having suffered multiple gunshots wounds. In addition, there were two pedestrians who were lightly and moderately injured after having been hit by a private vehicle. Police and security forces were controlling the area in force and were investigating the incident.”

12:45 Zionist Union MK Zohir Bahalul, a resident of the city, called for restraint and said he hoped the police investigation of the incident would find that it was not a premeditated terrorist attack.

“Acre has always been an example of a city where Jews and Arabs live in coexistence. Even in times of crisis the city’s residents have known how to rise above extremism and violence and to maintain the fabric of coexistence,” Bahalul said. “I hope and believe that the police investigation will reveal that it was not a terrorist attack and I call upon all residents of the city to exercise restraint,” he added.

13:55 According to reports, police are examining the posibility that the driver of the vehicle may have received an NIS 1,000 fine prior to the incident.  Chief Superintendent Yaniv Ronen, the commander of the Acre police station, said the driver’s identity was known to police and they were still examing all possible motives, including a terrorist attack.

14:58 A police spokesman said initial inquiries showed that the attack was a nationalistically motivated terrorist attack and that the driver, an Israeli Arab, had attempted to ram members of the security forces at several locations around Acre.