| January 2016 Tel Aviv shooting | |
|---|---|
  The attack site | |
| Native name | פיגוע הירי ברחוב דיזנגוף (2016) |
| Location | Dizengoff Street 130,Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Coordinates | 32°04′52″N34°46′26″E / 32.08111°N 34.77389°E /32.08111; 34.77389 |
| Date | 1 January 2016; 9 years ago (2016-01-01) c. 14:40 (UTC+2) |
Attack type | Mass shooting[1] |
| Weapons | Spectre M4 |
| Deaths | 3 civilians |
| Injured | 7 civilians |
| Perpetrator | Nasha'at Melhem |
On 1 January 2016, anIsraeli Arab gunman opened fire on several businesses onDizengoff Street, Tel Aviv, Israel, killing two and injuring seven civilians.[2] He also killed a taxi driver while fleeing. The attack was believed to be inspired byISIS.[3] The event took place in parallel with the2015-16 Palestinian unrest.
The gunman, reported to be a young man wearing sunglasses and dressed in black, exited a grocery store and pulled what appeared to be asubmachine gun[4] out of his bag and opened fire on asushi restaurant, a cafe, and a bar called "Ha'Simta" ("The Alley"), with the bar appearing to be the main target.[4]
Shortly after, the suspect took a taxi atIbn Gabirol Street nearRabin Square, some 750 meters east of the attack site. He later shot the driver, identified as Arab-Israeli Amin Shaaban, who was found dead near north Tel Aviv's Mandarin Hotel.[5]
The two murdered victims at the site of the shooting were identified as Alon Bakal, the manager of the Simta, and 30-year-old Shimon Ruimi ofOfakim.[6]
The perpetrator's cell phone was found shortly before the attack in an alley inRamat Aviv, a few miles north of the shooting scene. The girl who found the cell phone did not initially realize that it belonged to the perpetrator, and once she did so a day later, she and her father contacted the police.[7]Selfie videos from his cell phone were later made public by theShin Bet. The videos led officials to believe that the attack was inspired byISIS.[3]
Police identified the suspect as a 31-year-old named Nashat Melhem,[8] fromAr'ara, an Arab town in theWadi Ara area of northern Israel. He was identified after his father, who works in security, recognized his son from the security footage and noticed that his gun, reportedly aSpectre M4, was missing.[6]
Melhem had previously been arrested in 2007 for attempting to steal an Israeli soldier's gun. He attacked the soldier with ascrewdriver, and said he wanted to avenge his cousin's death, and also said he wanted to sell the gun. Relatives and acquaintances claimed that he had mental health issues and often engaged in "problematic" behavior.[9][10] Relatives stated he was not religious or affiliated with any political movement.[9]
Immediately following the incident, Israeli forces began a massive manhunt throughout the Tel Aviv area for Melhem.[11]Benjamin Netanyahu following the incident announced that forces have been increased within relevant areas.[12] With the location of Melhem unknown, Israel requested thePalestinian Government's help in searching theWest Bank for possible information on his whereabouts,[13] to which they later agreed to turn in Melhem if he was in the West Bank.[14] His family stated that if he returned home they would immediately alert the authorities.[15] After several days, Israeli Police expanded their search to northern Arab towns.[16]
In the days following the shooting, Melhem's father, Mohammed, along with five other family members and friends, were arrested on charges of premeditated manslaughter, being an accessory to murder, illegal association and conspiracy to commit a crime.[17] The next day, Melhem's brother, Jaudat, was released from prison, but ordered not to return home. The Police requested the court to allow Mohammed Melhem to be kept in police custody for up to 12 days.[18] Melhem's mother stated that police threatened to demolish their home for not releasing their son's whereabouts.[19]
On 8 January 2016, an IDF search dog picked up the scent of Melhem's feces.[20] Melhem was then killed byYamamcounter-terrorism operators in a mosque inAr'ara,[21] following a shootout with the police.[22] Melhem's body was buried in Arara's cemetery on 12 January, with some of the 80 participants, some of which hailed him as a martyr.[23]
Following Melhem being located four additional people were arrested on suspicion of aiding Melhem while in hiding.[24] On 27 January, three of Melhem's relatives: Amin and Mohammed Melhem, and Ayoub Rashid, were indicted for abetting Nashat Melhem elude police. In the indictment, Mohammed Melhem was charged with providing Nasha'at Melhem with a new cell phone and Amin Melhem was charged with helping Nasha'at Melhem plan a second attack in Israel.[3]
