Israeli security forces were still searching Saturday for a 27-year-old man suspected of carrying out a car-ramming attack that wounded 11 people earlier in the week, most of them soldiers.
The suspect, identified as Arkan Khaled, a resident of the Arab town of Taybeh in central Israel, is accused of driving into a group of people Thursday afternoon at a transit station near the entrance to the city of Kfar Yona. He then fled on foot after abandoning his vehicle in a field near the Beit Lid Junction.
Moments leading to a ramming attack on Thursday
Police released a new photograph of Khaled on Saturday and urged the public to assist in the search. “Call the police emergency line 100 as soon as you recognize him,” a police statement said.
Nine of the 11 injured in the attack were soldiers, authorities said. One of the soldiers was moderately wounded while the rest sustained minor injuries.
“We’re tired of living in fear because of the terrorist,” one local told Ynet on Saturday morning, as the manhunt entered its third day.
“We’re trying not to leave the house, and we don’t let the kids go out alone. Going for walks in the fields or orchards is out of the question. There’s a heavy security presence, and helicopters are almost constantly overhead. It’s reassuring to know that efforts are being made to catch him, but it’s also nerve-racking.”
“Last night we saw several patrol cars and security forces in the local park," another local said. "We thought the terrorist had been found there, and it was very frightening. Our town borders the agricultural area between Kfar Yona and Pardesiya, where the attacker abandoned his car, and the helicopter is often directly overhead. This morning was stressful too—we immediately thought the terrorist was somewhere in our town. It reminds us of October 7, with security forces patrolling the streets and checkpoints at the entrances. We just want this to be over. We want to go back to normal life.”
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Special counterterrorism units, tactical teams, helicopters and search dogs were deployed in the manhunt. Communities in the area remained on high alert amid fears that Khaled could attempt another attack.
Search underway for suspected terrorist in car-ramming attack
(Video: Raanan Ben-Zur)
“He remains dangerous. There’s concern he may attempt another attack—he has nothing to lose,” a police source said on condition of anonymity. “We’re doing everything we can to locate and apprehend him. It’s also possible he was injured in the attack and is lying somewhere helpless.”
Authorities set up roadblocks across the region, including routes leading toward the West Bank, in an effort to prevent Khaled from fleeing the area.