By The Jerusalem Post (World News) | Created at 2024-12-28 14:50:09 | Updated at 2024-12-29 06:15:02
15 hours ago
The suspect was questioned two weeks earlier, underwent a polygraph test, and used a knife in the attack, hinting that the decision was impulsive.
By AVI ASHKENAZI, JERUSALEM POST STAFF DECEMBER 28, 2024 16:33 Updated: DECEMBER 28, 2024 16:45
Israeli security forces at the scene of a stabbing attack in Herzliya, December 27, 2024.
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency)'s initial investigation findings indicate that the terrorist who stabbed 83-year-old Holocaust survivor Ludmila Lipovsky in Herzilya on Friday committed the terror act due to believing his life was in danger.
The Shin Bet opened an investigation into the murder, with current assessments indicating that the attacker only decided to act shortly before committing the crime. Officials noted that the suspect had been questioned two weeks earlier, underwent a polygraph test, and used a knife in the attack—suggesting the decision may have been impulsive.
The attacker was previously a Shin Bet informant who had provided intelligence and aided in counterterrorism operations in the West Bank. After his identity was exposed, concerns for his safety arose. Officials emphasized that “this is an exceptional case” and noted that initial findings show no precedent of a rehabilitated former collaborator committing such an act while living in Israel.
The investigation to determine the attacker’s motives is still ongoing.
Security officials highlighted the key role of informants in thwarting attacks, saving lives, and ensuring national security. These agents often operate under challenging conditions within terrorist networks. “Counterterrorism is ultimately a profession of risk management,” they said. For exposed agents, a rehabilitation process exists, with most successfully integrating into Israeli society through work or education.
The attacker previously resided in Tulkarm, where Islamic Jihad had established a violent terrorist infrastructure known as "The Lions' Den." Security officials noted that the Shin Bet and Central Command dismantled this network, with the attacker himself playing a role in its destruction. Despite this, he later committed the brutal murder after he believed his identity was exposed and his life was in danger.
The terror attack
Eighty-three-year-old Holocaust survivor Ludmila Lipovsky was murdered in a terror stabbing attack outside her nursing home in Herzliya on Friday morning. Security guards neutralized the attacker before arresting him.
Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv confirmed that Lipovsky was pronounced dead on arrival.
The suspect's collaboration with the Shin Bet was later exposed, and he was transferred for rehabilitation in Israel. He has now been transferred to the Shin Bet for questioning.
Mathilda Heller and Sam Halpert contributed to this report.
