Ahmad Himoni, a 25-year-old resident from Hebron who, along with an accomplice, murdered seven people in a shooting spree at a light rail station in Jaffa on Oct. 1, was indicted on terrorism charges on Sunday.
The State Attorney’s Office submitted the indictment to the Tel Aviv District Court.
Himoni was severely wounded while another attacker, Muhammad Mask, 19, also from Hebron, was killed. They were shot at the scene by police officers, municipal security and armed civilians.
The charges against Himoni include seven counts of aggravated murder as a terrorist act, 12 counts of attempted murder as a terrorist act, illegal entry into Israel and jointly carrying weapons for terrorist purposes.
Murdered in the attack were Revital Bronstein, Shachar Goldman, Victor Samson Green, Jonas Krosis, Ilya Nozadze, Inbar Segev-Weigder and Nadia Sokolenco. Eleven others were wounded, some critically.
According to the indictment, they illegally entered Israel carrying bags labeled in Hebrew to avoid suspicion. The bags contained disassembled M-16 rifles, magazines, ammunition and knives.
The terrorists used a company based in eastern Jerusalem, “Hamoudi Transportation Ltd.,” to take them to Jaffa. When they arrived at Bloomfield Stadium, they asked if there was a soccer match as they had planned to carry out a large-scale attack in a crowded area of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
A driver told them that there were no matches due to a possible Iranian missile attack that evening. The attackers later entered a mosque, assembled their weapons in the ablution room after prayers and used threats to make the worshippers stay inside while they went out to continue their attack.
Around 7 p.m., the two terrorists saw a light rail train heading toward a station at Jerusalem Boulevard and ran toward the platform. Mask opened fire on the passengers on the platform and then inside the train while Himoni stabbed several victims.
“The attackers acted with extraordinary brutality, targeting elderly individuals, women, and children, ignoring their screams. Himoni reportedly stated during interrogation that he would have used an explosive device on Jews if he had one,” according to the news portal Tel Aviv Online.
Mask’s rifle then jammed and they headed into a barbershop to fix it before returning to the platform. Mask resumed shooting at the departing train while Himoni stabbed more victims.
Himoni attempted to stab a passerby who then pulled out a gun and shot him. Mask was killed on the spot.
“The indictment highlights the attackers’ nationalistic motives, citing Himoni’s admission during interrogation and their deliberate targeting of defenseless civilians, including a mother shielding her infant on the train,” Tel Aviv Online reported.
Additionally, charges were filed against Hamoudi Transportation Ltd. owner Muhammad Abd al-Nabi, 31, for negligently facilitating their illegal entry into Israel. Two drivers were charged—Kazem Muzaffar, 31, and Yazan Nashashibi, 35. They face charges of reckless manslaughter, aggravated harm and facilitating the illegal transport of foreign residents.
The prosecution has requested the detention of all those charged until the end of legal proceedings, “citing the severe and calculated nature of the crimes.”
