IDF soldier riding train shoots himself in the leg

Serviceman moderately hurt after discharging his weapon, apparently accidentally; military police investigate

View of the Tel Aviv Savidor Central Railway Station, September 3, 2016. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

An Israel Defense Forces soldier shot himself in the leg during a train ride Sunday, apparently accidentally, and was moderately injured, the army said.

There were no other injuries during the incident, which occurred on a train traveling south from Herzliya to Tel Aviv.

The train stopped at Tel Aviv’s Savidor Central railway station, where Magen David Adom paramedics treated the soldier and then took him to Ichilov Hospital for further treatment.

Hebrew media reports showed images of the solider lying on a stretcher on a platform with bandages on his left leg.

The IDF said the soldier’s family was informed of his injury and that military police had opened an investigation.

Many IDF soldiers are expected to take their weapons with them during leave rather than deposit them at an armory. However, as a safety precaution army regulations usually prohibit soldiers from carrying their rifles with the magazine inside the weapon.

The Hebrew-language Ynet new site reported that passengers were transferred to another train. Despite the incident, there were no major delays in the train system.

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