Eight victims of the southern Tel Aviv terror attack are admitted to Ichilov Hospital on Monday morning. The most seriously wounded, a border police officer is on a mechanical respirator in a medically induced coma. The others are in moderate and light condition.

The victims explain that it was clear the terrorist was heading to the HaUman 17 nightclub where approximately 1,000 youths were having a party marking the end of the summer. After trying to strike the victims with the stolen taxi the terrorist exited the vehicle and began swinging his knife, injuring the victims in their face, extremities and abdomen.

Police explain they first thought a young driver was intoxicated as they observed the vehicle approaching the checkpoint at 60 MPH. Within seconds of seeing the officer on the ground in a pool of blood they realized they are dealing with a terrorist, not a drunk driver.

The bouncer of the nightclub explains he heard a loud noise, thinking there was a serious accident. He ran to the area and found the border policemen trying to wrestle the knife from the assailant. Some of them were already wounded, on the ground. He joined in and as a result required sutures on his arm. “The border policemen were truly heroes. I commend their response” stated the bouncer.

The terrorist, who remains under heavy guard in Wolfson Hospital in Holon, explained to police just how he planned the attack, buying the knife and calculating just how to get a vehicle, hoping to ram the nightclub, seeking to injure and kill as many as possible.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)