Two alleged accomplices of TA terrorist released to house arrest

Haifa District Court on Friday granted house arrest for two people suspected of helping Tel Aviv gunman Nashat Milhem to hide after carrying out a shooting spree in Tel Aviv two weeks ago.

The two, both from Milhem’s hometown of Arara, in northern Israel, have been allowed to return home for a period of seven days, Channel 10 reported.

Since the attack and a subsequent week-long manhunt that ended in a shootout with police in Arara, in which Milhem was killed, seven people have been arrested on suspicion of being complicit in the attack.

The gunman’s father, brothers, sister, and cousin, as well as another relative, have so far been arrested and later released. Two other people and a resident of East Jerusalem have also been held.

Milhem shot dead Shimon Ruimi and Alon Bakal and wounded seven others at a bar on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv when he opened fire from an automatic weapon. He then fled, hailed a taxi and later killed its driver, Amin Shaaban, when heading away from the center of the city.

The manhunt for Milhem took officers to the West Bank and northern Israel. A week later, however, following the exchange of fire in which he was killed, security officials were quoted by Israeli media as saying the killer had reached Arara within two hours of carrying out the attack and had been hiding there the entire week.

Milhem was buried Wednesday in Arara. His father, Mohammed, did not attend.

Hundreds of people turned out Friday afternoon for a street party to support the Simta Bar, where Milhem killed Bakal and Ruimi. Among the attendees was Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai.