Police on Wednesday arrested an IDF combat engineering soldier suspected of stabbing two young men outside a nightclub in central Tel Aviv last week.
The 21-year-old soldier from Lod was taken into custody after police found military weapons and explosive materials in his home, authorities said. He is expected to appear in court later Wednesday for a remand hearing.
According to police, the suspect allegedly stabbed the victims during a confrontation outside the club early Friday and fled the scene. Officers from the Tel Aviv Central station later searched his home, where they said they found an IDF demolition cord with a detonator, a pen gun used for firing flares, ceramic armor plates, M-16 magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, door lock-breaking kits, and 23,000 shekels in cash.
The attack occurred around 6 a.m. Friday at the corner of Ibn Gvirol and Shaul Hamelech streets, near the London Ministore commercial center. Police said the fight began inside the nightclub before spilling into the street. Security footage from the area helped investigators identify and locate the suspect.
Magen David Adom said paramedics treated two 25-year-old men who suffered severe penetrating injuries. Both were taken to Ichilov Hospital in serious condition.
Paramedic Shaked Cohen said one of the men was semi-conscious and in critical condition when medics arrived. “We provided life-saving treatment and evacuated him to the hospital,” Cohen said. “Another man, also seriously injured, was transported from the scene.”