Erdan laments probe of sapper who shot teen attacker

The public security minister sides with a police sapper who shot to death a teenage Palestinian attacker at Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market last month after she was already on the ground.

Gilad Erdan says he “laments” the announcement yesterday by the Police Investigation Unit that it had interrogated the cop on suspicion that he fired at the Palestinian girl after she no longer posed a threat.

The investigation was opened following a decision by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, on the advice of the state prosecutor.

In a statement, Erdan says he “can’t comprehend why security forces are constantly judged on decisions made in a split second at the scene of a terror attack, as if it’s a laboratory and one can instantly know what additional weapons or explosives are on the terrorists’ person, and if they are truly worn out or rather are still capable of stabbing someone who approaches them.”

The interrogation of the officer marked the first time in the recent wave of terror attacks that someone has been investigated for shooting at a suspect during an attack. Over the last two months, dozens of Palestinians have been killed while carrying out attacks against security forces and civilians.

“I respect the Police Investigation Unit’s authority,” Erdan continues, “but I hope the investigation will be concluded soon and the case will be closed, because we have to support the security forces who save lives time and again.”

Here is footage from the incident in question, which saw two teenage Palestinian cousins attacking passersby in Jerusalem before they were subdued (one was killed and the other wounded) by the sapper and another man:

https://youtu.be/HUerD_Q9dgI

— Times of Israel staff contributed