Border Police Officers Who Killed Downed Palestinian Stabber Under Investigation

The Border Police Officers who shot a Palestinian assailant dead after he stabbed an ultra-Orthodox man are under investigation by the Justice Ministry’s Police Investigation Department. Such an investigation is reportedly routine in any shooting incident in which someone is killed. In Saturday’s incident, captured on video, the assailant is seen falling to the ground after being shot by police officers, and then shot again as he lay on the ground. The officers say they believed that the attacker, who was still moving on the ground, remained dangerous.

The attacker was identified as West Bank resident Muhammad Shaukat Muhammad Salima, 25, who was in Israel illegally. The Israeli who was stabbed was moderately wounded.

פיגוע הדקירה היום בשער שכם pic.twitter.com/3CW3W74OWK

— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) December 4, 2021

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in a statement of support for the officers issued on Saturday night, said they “took the quick and determined action expected of Israel Police officers against a terrorist who tried to murder an Israeli civilian. I would like to extend to them full backing. This is how our officers are expected to act and this is how they acted. We cannot allow our capital city to become a focal point of terrorism.”

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev tweeted: “A second or two after the first shooting, the police officers needed to decide whether the terrorist might activate a suicide bomb. When in doubt, there is no doubt.”

In 2016, former IDF soldier Elor Azaria killed a Palestinian terrorist who was on the ground and posed no threat. He was convicted of manslaughter.