Taisir Karaki
Reproduction photo: Yaron Brener
Julien Soufir
Photo: Niv Calderon
Slain cabbie to be recognized as terror victim
State intends to make Taisir Karaki's family eligible for state benefits despite 2007 murder being classified as hate crime rather than terror attack. Murderer deemed insane, unfit to stand trial
Taisir Karaki, a Jerusalem cab driver who was murdered in mid 2007, will be recognized by the State as a terror victim, making his family eligible for state benefits, Ynet learned on Tuesday.
Karaki's murderer, Julien Soufir, confessed to the act and claimed his actions were nationalistically motivated. Three psychiatric evaluations deemed Soufir unfit to stand trail, diagnosing him as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. The State's latest request to have him examined by another psychiatrist was denied.
The State Prosecutor's Office classified the case as a hate crime based solely on Soufir's confession, and subsequently presented the Defense Ministry with the family's request to have Karaki recognized as a terror victim.
Should the court decide to find Soufir not guilty by reasons of mental illness, he may be set free within months. Karaki's family expressed concern of the prospect, as family members said that if Soufir is set free they would never let him be.
