Haifa terrorist gets life plus 22 years in prison
Muhammad Shinawi, 22, who shot Guy Kafri to death and wounded Yehiel Iluz in 2017, was sentenced to life in prison with an additional 22 years; he is also ordered to pay his victims NIS 258,000 and NIS 120,000 in compensation.
Muhammad Shinawi, a resident of Haifa who was convicted under the Anti-Terrorism Law of the murder of Guy Kafri and the attempted murder of Yehiel Iluz, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison and an additional 22 years, which he will serve cumulatively.
The Haifa District Court also sentenced Shinawi to one year probation on previous convictions and ordered him to pay NIS 258,000 to the Guy Kafri's family and NIS 120,000 to Yehiel Iluz in compensation.
Shinwai, who expressed no remorse for his actions, was nationalistically motivated, committing the heinous crimes "only because of his hatred of Jews," wrote Judge Rivka Fuchs, who headed the three-judges panel, which ruled unanimously.
During a hearing dealing with the defendant's sanity, Shinawi decided to admit to all charges, contrary to the advice of his attorney. He also confessed to use of a weapon, possession of a knife, attempted robbery and car theft. His confession led to his conviction a year after the murderous attack in January 2017.
The defendant also went on a rampage inside the courtroom and had to be transferred back to the detention cell.
Shinawi's lawyer admitted that she found it difficult to advocate for her client, but noted that his apology to his victim's family was "genuine and sincere."
In the ruling, Judge Fuchs noted that the testimonies of Kafri's family members show they find it difficult to function following the murder of their son. "The mother of the victim is having a hard time leading a normal life. From an active woman with various interests, she has become a woman who finds it difficult to function," the judge said.
Kafri's mother Berta criticized authorities at a plea hearing last month. "For such a heinous crime, even the death penalty is not enough, but that's not the point... The point is that no official has responded or suggested ways to prevent the next attack, perhaps they are afraid of undermining coexistence," Berta said.
"The murderer studied in Israel's education system. No one checks what they learn in schools, what kind of incitement they absorb. No one inspects the mosques in Halisa (a neighborhood in southern Haifa), and the police does not confiscate their weapons. If they do that, they might be able to prevent the next murder. Even today, no official representative came to court," she accused.
According to the indictment, Shinawi purchased an improvised machine gun, which he painted black, in late 2015, over a year before the attack. He managed to conceal the weapon as he practiced shooting in the woods.
On the night between January 2 and 3 2017, the terrorist asked his younger brother, a minor, to bring him the weapon, following which he loaded it and concealed it in his brother's presence. According to the District Attorney's Office, the brother was not aware of Shinawi's intention to carry out a terror attack.
The next morning Shinawi concealed the weapon in a backpack and left his home. At around to 9:30am he arrived at Ha'atzmaut Street in Haifa to carry out the attack.
At first, he fired several shots at his first victim, Yehiel Iluz—a visibly religious Jewish man—from a short distance while the weapon was still concealed in his bag. Iluz collapsed to the ground before his would-be murderer fled the scene.
As he was fleeing the scene, Shinawi fired again in the direction of a Jewish woman, but she was not harmed.
Later, at around 10am, the shooter noticed Kafri walking on HaGiborim Street. He shot at Kafri, hitting him with three bullets and killing him.
The investigation of the attack found that Shinawi had nurtured his hatred of Jews over the course of 10 years, since the Second Lebanon War. In addition, one of the catalysts for the crime was his girlfriend provoking him by calling him a "Jewish Zionist" and a "Jew lover."
