16-year-old Bedouin resident Basma Awad al-Nabari decided she wanted to be like the residents of Gaza who died in Operation Cast Lead, a “holy martyr”, prompting her to carry out a terror attack in the Shokhat Junction area, at a border police base situated between Beersheva and Arad.

Nabari arrived at the sentry post of the base on Shabbos afternoon at about 1:45pm, seeking to enter. When she was questioned regarding the purpose of her request to enter, the teen pulled out a handgun and fired four or five shots.

The sentry tried get the weapon from her while speaking with her in Arabic and summoning backup forces. She fled, taking up position near the base border perimeter fence. One of the policemen who arrived on the scene, Superintendent Ofir Yavrakan realized he had a clear shot at the teen terrorist who was aiming her weapon at the base. He fired, neutralizing her and bringing the incident under control.

The sentry soldier explained he tried everything to avoid using his weapon, seeking to control the situation without injuries but he did not succeed.

A robot was used to examine the body of the assailant to make certain it was not booby-trapped. Police Chief Dudi Cohen, who arrived on the scene, had words of praise for the response of police.

Residents of Chura, the attacker’s community, stated they are shocked over the news, calling Nabari “a normal girl”. The community’s leader, Mohammad el-Nabari, rejected the police statement that the teen was killed in a failed terrorist attack, stating it is very likely she arrived to file a complaint or other police matter, opting not to address the fact she pulled a weapon and opened fire.

Three relatives of the terrorist including her parents are in custody and police on Sunday requested an extension of their remand, telling the court the family members were aware of Basma’s plan to carry out an attack but did nothing to prevent it or report her to authorities. Police on Sunday also stated that documents in the family home show a direct link to Hamas, thereby compelling the request for the extended remand.

Officials involved in the investigation report they have found a letter written by Basma stating her desire to become a Shahid (holy martyr) by carrying out an attack.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)