2 attacked with hammer in suspected terror act

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The two victims, both in their 40s, suffered minor and moderate injuries and were taken to Soroka Medical Center for treatment.

An initial investigation found that the attacker sprayed tear gas on a taxi driver before hitting a passerby with the hammer.  

Victim says he was attacked from behind.

Daniel Ben-Hammo, a taxi driver who arrived on the scene after the attack, knows one of the victims. "My friend was checking his car's battery outside the municipality building when someone who was walking down the street attacked him with tear gas," he said. "The driver took out a screw driver. He struggled with him, and when the attacker saw that he can't deal with him, he attacked the other guy."

Ben-Hammo mentioned that his friend suffered cuts on his neck as result of the struggle.

'I feared for my life'

The second victim was hit while waiting for his wife to finish work at the municipality.

"I waited for my wife and somebody came and hit me on the head with a hammer," the man said. "I didn't see him. He came from behind. I waited outside near the car; I was wiping off dust when I felt two blows to my head."

The man, who was with his young daughter, said that he tried to run away, but the attacker chased after him and managed to hit him again before disposing of the hammer. The victim told police he feared for his life.

Due to concern that the attack was an act of terror, large police forces deployed across Beersheba. Roadblocks were placed across town as well.

"We are not ruling out the possibility that the attack was a hostile terrorist act, but there is no unequivocal (evidence)," said Chief Superintendent Yossi Cohen of the Beersheba police department.

"We are examining other possibilities. The victims are unrelated, and they didn't know the attacker, so a criminal background is marginal."

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