Left with fuzzy clues, cops used computer-generated composite to find terrorist

Channel 12 news reports on new details of the manhunt for Ra’ad Hazem, whom Israel says carried out the deadly terror attack in Tel Aviv Thursday night.

The station reports that security footage gave investigators only a fuzzy picture of Hazem, but they were able to use it and computer technology to build a clearer facial composite, which was then distributed to aid in the manhunt.

Photos of Hazem in a Shin Bet databank could have also been used, the network says, though reports have indicated that Hazem did not have a record with Israeli authorities.

A computer-generated photo composite of Ra’ad Hazem, left, alongside an actual picture of him. (Screen capture: Channel 12)

According to Channel 12, the Shin Bet believes that Hazem planned to carry out another attack, citing the fact that there were 10 bullets left in the magazine of his gun when he was killed in a shootout outside a Jaffa mosque where he had been holed up.

It’s unclear whether the conclusion is based on the existence of the remaining bullets alone, as the fact that he hid out and did not carry out a second attack would appear to undercut the assessment.

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