Terrorist who stabbed soldier on J'lem light rail gets 13 years
Muhammad Shuman admits to attempted murder of female soldier, in return for dropping of premeditation charges
A plea bargain was reached Wednesday for an Arab man charged with the stabbing of the IDF soldier Yehudit Aharon on Jerusalem's light rail last March.
The Jerusalem District Court authorized the plea bargain, which included a revamped indictment and a 13-year prison sentence for the assailant, Muhammad Shuman.
Related Stories
Shuman, 19, was officially indicted for attempted murder, retaining a knife and obstruction of justice. The court is expected to authorize the compromise regarding his sentence as well.
In return, the indictment was amended to describe Shuman's decision to stab the soldier as a spur of the moment decision, and not a premeditated one.
Scene of the attack (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
According to the new indictment, Shuman left his Beit Hanina home early on the morning of March 15th, 2012, with the intent of taking a test as part of his religious studies.
The original indictment described him as carrying the knife with him beforehand, with the intention of stabbing, while the new indictment claims he had forgotten the knife in his pocket only to discover it after leaving his home.
Later in the day, Shuman left his school, roamed the city and boarded the light rail at around noon. During his journey, he noticed Aharon sitting across from him.
When the light train arrived at the Beit Hanina station he arose from his seat and "in a spur of the moment and unpremeditated decision, pulled the knife from his pocket and stabbed the soldier twice; once in her chest and once again in her arm, injuring her with the clear intention of killing her," the indictment read.
The soldier was moderately wounded.
Her mother, Naomi, talked to Ynet on the day of the stabbing, and said that her daughter had finished her basic training only weeks beforehand, and was placed in an administrative (as opposed to combative) role.
The indictment further claimed that Shuman attempted to murder the soldier because of his frustration regarding the plight of the Palestinians and the security check he underwent at the Qalandiya checkpoint. It also cited the influence of reports in Arab media outlets.
- Receive Ynetnews
updates directly to your desktop
