Netanya: Panic at market after woman yells 'terrorist'
Market-goers in beachside city scramble for exits after woman sees mans she deems suspicious and yells 'terrorist, terrorist.' Three people injured while trying to flee
Three people were lightly injured on Tuesday afternoon after a panic in the Ramle-Lod market in Netanya that was caused when a woman yelled "terrorist, terrorist." The unidentified woman noticed a man who she believed looked suspicious and thought he was about to carry out an attack.
People began fleeing the area and some were injured in the melee that ensued.
Police were called to the scene but they did not find any terrorists.
Magen David Adom paramedics arrived at the market and evacuated two of those lightly injured to Laniado hHospital in Netanya. Firefighters were also called to the scene.
Initial police findings indicate that someone thought they heard shots fired, began panicking and yelled "terrorist, terrorist."
One woman told Ynet: "It was terribly frightening; all of the sudden we heard 'terrorist, terrorist,' and everybody began running out of the market with groceries in their hands. People began panicking…there was a lot of crowding at each of the exits; it was terrifying – mainly seeing mothers with their babies in all this chaos and stress."
"There was massive panic. People were trying to climb over the fence in order to get away. While all this was happening, I couldn't understand how there was a terrorist there but nothing happened. No explosion, no shooting. I didn't take a chance and fled the area with everybody else."
The market is open Tuesdays and Fridays and is surrounded by a six foot high metal fence. There are two entrances that are wide enough for about two people to fit through at the same time.
Roee Lazerovich, a Beit Yitzhak resident who works as a security guard, told Ynet: "We heard reports that a terrorist had perhaps infiltrated into the area. Large amounts of police arrived. We heard endless police sirens. They closed all the entrances to Beit Yitzhak. They’ve closed all the entrances to Netanya and there are large amounts of police."
