Four people were injured in a knife attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the Israeli emergency service announced.
Ichilov Hospital said it was treating three victims, including one in “serious condition with a knife wound to the neck”. The attacker, a 28-year-old foreign national, was shot at the scene, police said.
Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency said it was investigating after a decision was made to allow the man, who reportedly held Moroccan citizenship and US permanent residency, into the country.
This is the second stabbing in Tel Aviv in four days, after another person was attacked on Saturday before being shot dead by an armed civilian.
Tuesday’s attack took place on Nahalat Binyamin Street, an area known for its restaurants and nightlife, and on nearby Gruzenberg Street, where the attacker stabbed another person and shot him.
Israeli media reported that an American residence permit and a border control pass were found on the attacker’s body.
He entered Israel with a tourist visa on January 18.
Border and immigration forces objected to the man’s entry into Israel while he was at Ben Gurion Airport, but the Shin Bet security service approved his entry, Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said.
“I call on Shin Bet leader Ronen Bar to investigate the serious incident and learn from it as soon as possible,” he added.
The Shin Bet said in response: “Following the individual’s entry into Israel, a security assessment was conducted, including questioning and additional checks, which concluded that there were no grounds to deny him entry for security reasons. The incident will be investigated.”
Hamas did not claim responsibility, but praised the attack in a statement.
