Haifa residents were shocked to find out on Thursday that the local flower seller, a quiet man who devotedly fed all the street cats, was the terrorist who shot a policeman on Thursday in the Old City of Jerusalem, Kikar H’Shabbos reported.

Shadi Bena, a 44-year-old Arab Christian resident of Haifa, married with one son, was known in the city as a courteous man who managed the local flower shop.

Shimon Sabag, who worked near the flower store, told Israeli media: “I saw him almost every morning for ten years. He’s the last person I would think of that would commit a terror attack. We’re in utter shock. I knew he converted to Islam recently.”

“There are no words,” the shocked Sabag continued. “To know that a terrorist like this emerged from our city, a man that I saw every day and he did such a despicable thing.”

https://twitter.com/dudid2428/status/1225439522915332097?s=20

Another neighbor who was a regular customer at the flower store where Bena worked told Ynet: “He was a friendly and nice person who used to feed all the neighborhood cats. Apparently he had two identities. I’m simply in shock. I can’t understand how a person could do such a horrible thing.”

Israeli security forces burst into Bena’s house in Haifa on Thursday afternoon and searched his house for weapons and his computers. They then proceeded to the flower store and broke into the store with the help of Israeli emergency services and searched the store as well.

המחבל שביצע היום פיגוע ירי בירושלים הוא שאדי בנא, בן 45 שניהל חנות פרחים בהדר בחיפה.
שמעון סבג, מנכ״ל עמותת ״יד עזר לחבר״ שיש לה מרכז חלוקה סמוך למקום אמר: ״עשר שנים שאנחנו רואים אותו כמעט כל יום וזה הבן אדם האחרון שהייתי חושב שיבצע פיגוע. אנחנו בהלם״ pic.twitter.com/khhhBhtQge

— חדשות חיפה והקריות (@haifakrayot) February 6, 2020

Bena’s two brothers were detained for interrogation on the suspicion that they were aware of their brother’s intention to carry out a terrorist attack, although they vehemently denied knowing anything about it.

Bena shot a policeman near Har Habayis in Jerusalem on Thursday at noon. Other policemen on the scene responded with gunfire and shot and killed Bena.

MDA paramedics provided emergency treatment to the policeman, in his 20s, who was lightly wounded.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)