Arab stabs Jew, claims "I'm depressed" - will not be charged with terrorism • Watch

April 1, 2022   

A terrorist, a resident of the Abu Tur neighborhood in East Jerusalem, who stabbed a Jewish passerby two weeks ago in the capital, is charged with attempted murder - but not with an act of terrorism. The Jerusalem District Attorney's Office filed an indictment against Murad Barakat, 28, in the city's District Court today (Friday) for attempted murder two weeks ago. According to the indictment, filed through attorney Aviad Dweik, the defendant decided to stab a passerby to death and for this purpose he equipped himself with a knife, arrived at the intersection of Hebron-Commander David Remez Street in Jerusalem, attacked a Jewish jogger who was passing by in a crosswalk - and tried to stab him. The jogger defended himself against him and at a certain point, while the terrorist continued to try to kill him, the jogger managed to get him to drop the knife. Passersby passing by moved the knife away and helped the victim get away from the terrorist. As a result of the terrorist's actions, the Jew suffered a stab wound and required medical treatment. Despite all this, the indictment did not include an attribution of a nationalist motive to the act, because Barakat claimed in his interrogation that he acted because he was depressed and wanted to stab anyone who came his way, and not necessarily a Jew. The investigation did not provide any evidence of a nationalist motive, such as a statement about carrying out an attack or belonging to a terrorist organization, and therefore the prosecution believed that there would be It is difficult to prove such a motive in court. The prosecution is asking the court to order the terrorist's arrest until the end of the legal proceedings against him. The incident occurred on Saturday, March 19, in the morning. Barakat is seen in footage from the incident stabbing a runner who was crossing the crosswalk on Hebron Road. Barakat was shot by police after refusing to obey their orders.