Officials said to believe Tel Aviv terrorist set out for attack from Jaffa mosque

Security officials are said to believe the Palestinian terrorist who carried out the deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv set out from the mosque in Jaffa where he was later killed in a firefight.

According to the Haaretz daily, officials believe that Ra’ad Hazem, a 28-year-old resident of Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, had advanced knowledge of Tel Aviv and Jaffa from entering Israel illegally on a number of previous occasions.

The report says it’s believed that Hazem prayed at the mosque on Yefet Street before going on his deadly rampage in Tel Aviv.

Hazem killed two people and wounded several others when he opened fire on a Tel Aviv bar.

Hazem returned to the area of the mosque after the attack. After a massive manhunt, he was located hours later, hiding near the house of worship and was killed in an exchange of fire with officers from the Yamam police counter-terrorism unit and Shin Bet security service.

The Kan public broadcaster says that while it is believed that Hazem may have received assistance from a family member, it is not known if any members of the mosque were involved in the attack or had advanced knowledge.