Palestinian opens fire in Israeli market

World Today

Israel PalestiniansPolice officers inspect the scene of a shooting attack in Petah Tikva, Israel, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

A Palestinian man opened fire in an Israeli market on Thursday, injuring four people, before being arrested by police, Israeli authorities said.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the man from the West Bank opened fire with an automatic weapon in the city of Petah Tikva, 10 km (six miles) east of Tel Aviv. He shot two people in the legs and two others were also injured.

“The terrorist was captured,” he said. “We’re trying to understand how he arrived in the area.”

A wave of Palestinian street attacks, including vehicle rammings, shootings, and stabbings, began in October 2015 and has slowed but not stopped completely. Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies that and says assailants have acted out of frustration over Israeli occupation of land sought by Palestinians in peace talks that have been stalled since 2014.


Story by Reuters.