An indictment was handed down on Sunday against Ahmad Himuni, a 25-year-old from Hebron, for his role in the deadly attack at the Jaffa light rail station on October 1, where seven people were killed. Muhammad Mask another terrorist was killed on the scene. The indictment details "particular cruelty" on Himuni's part, who used a knife to stab passengers and bystanders, while Mask, who was neutralized, opened fire with an M-16 assault rifle.
Video from the attack
The victims in the attack which coincided with Iran's ballistic missile assault, were Ionas Karussis (26), Inbar Segev-Vigder (33), who was shot dead while protecting her baby, Ilia Nozadze (42), Nadia Kosolenko (40), Shahar Goldman (30), Victor Shimshon Green (33), and Revital Bronstein (24). Eleven others were injured. Mask, the 19-year-old terrorist, used a standard rifle in the attack and was neutralized by a passerby, while Himuni was injured and subdued.
The Jenin Brigade's refusal and infiltration with a Hebrew-Labeled bag
The indictment, filed by attorneys Asaf Shavit and Ori Goldstein from the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office, charges Himuni with seven counts of aggravated murder as a terrorist act in concert and 12 counts of attempted murder as a terrorist act in concert, along with illegal entry into Israel and weapons transport for terrorist purposes.
According to the indictment, Himuni conspired with Mask to carry out terrorist attacks in Israel, motivated by nationalist-ideological reasons, possibly as retaliation for the war in Gaza. As part of their plan, the two terrorists attempted to join the "Jenin Brigades" to receive weapons and guidance on carrying out terrorist acts against Israeli targets. However, they were told that due to military pressure, this was not possible at the time and that contact would be made after Israeli forces left Jenin.
The indictment names two additional terrorists, Abd al-Rahim Afif Jodat Himuni and Ahmad Rafiq Muhammad Himuni, who were in contact with both terrorists and sought to join them in the Jenin Brigade. According to the indictment, the two were informed by Himuni and Mask of their original plan—to carry out a mass-casualty attack in a crowded location such as a football stadium.
The agreement among the four was to head to Tel Aviv-Jaffa, with each armed with a firearm. Days before the attack, Mask informed the others (Afif and Rafiq) of his ability to purchase an M-16 rifle, and they helped him financially to acquire the weapon. On September 30, the day before the attack, Mask bought the rifle from an unidentified individual, and when he offered Afif and Rafiq to join the attack armed only with knives, they refused, stating they would participate once they obtained firearms.
The Trip to Bloomfield and the altered Plan
Himuni agreed to join Mask, armed with a knife, and they infiltrated Israel on the day of the attack. They used the transportation services of other drivers who have already been indicted, carrying a backpack with Hebrew writing containing the disassembled weapon and magazines, along with a pouch (a small bag attached to the belt) with two knives and bullets for the weapon.
According to the indictment, upon arriving near Bloomfield Stadium, the terrorists asked a taxi driver who brought them there if a football game was scheduled for that evening. The taxi driver replied that due to the war and the expected Iranian missile attack that evening, no game would take place. The indictment states that around 5:30 PM, the terrorists arrived at Hever HaLeumim Street and stayed briefly in a garage. During this time, Himuni wrote a will on his mobile phone, assuming he would die in the attack.
Around 6:30 PM, the terrorists left the garage with their bags and walked toward Jerusalem Boulevard, intending to carry out the attack, where they entered a mosque and prayed. After finishing the prayer, they assembled the weapon in the mosque's purification room, took the knives from the pouch—Himuni holding one in his hands and Mask holding another. Mask then stood at the entrance to the mosque's prayer hall, with Himuni beside him, shouting to the worshippers not to leave the mosque or they would be harmed.
Shortly after, around 7:00 PM, the terrorists noticed the light rail arriving at the boulevard and ran from the mosque entrance toward the platform—Mask with the weapon and Himuni with the knife. When the train stopped at the platform, Mask began shooting at dozens present, first on the platform and then inside one of the cars, while Himuni simultaneously stabbed some of the victims.
"The terrorists acted with particular cruelty, seeing the place was crowded with people, including the elderly, women, and children (some toddlers)," the indictment states, "despite the cries of the minors, who saw the severe injuries inflicted on their mother by the gunfire as she protected them during the shooting."
Upon entering one of the cars, the terrorists noticed Inbar Segev-Vigder, who was protecting her nine-month-old son, strapped to her in a carrier. "Despite this, the terrorists shot her in cold blood," the indictment states, noting the indiscriminate nature of their shooting.
Bystander's heroism
During the shooting, the rifle jammed, and the terrorists entered a barbershop on the street, where Mask cleared the rifle. "The defendant noticed a person and asked if he was Jewish or Arab, and when he replied that he was Arab, he was allowed to escape. After clearing the rifle, the two returned toward the light rail, which began moving from the platform, and Mask resumed shooting into it through its windows with Himuni beside him. These shots hit passengers in the car and posed a real danger to the lives of additional people beyond those injured," the indictment states.
Further described, the two terrorists noticed a person on an electric scooter and demanded he identify as Jewish or Arab. When he did not respond, Himuni attempted to murder him, stabbing him twice in the back and waist. The indictment emphasizes that the terrorist did this because of the victim's Judaism—who started running and managed to escape. At this point, an armed passerby noticed them, and according to the indictment, Himuni attempted to stab him as well—but he managed to shoot and neutralize him, while others neutralized the terrorist Mask.
Today's indictment joins a precedent-setting case filed about two weeks ago against Muhammad Abed al-Nabi (31), owner of "Hamudi Transport" Ltd. in East Jerusalem, who instructed his drivers to transport illegal infiltrators into Israel during the war. "Due to his gross negligence, the two terrorists infiltrated the country," it was reported.
Additionally, an indictment was filed against two drivers, Kazem Muzafer (31) and Yazan Nashashibi (35), who transported the terrorists to carry out the attack, charging them with seven counts of negligent homicide and serious injury offenses. These three defendants are also charged with transporting foreign residents under aggravated circumstances in concert.
The prosecution requested the court to order the detention of the terrorist and the three additional defendants involved in the attack until the end of legal proceedings against them. In the detention request, the prosecution emphasized that "this is a bloodthirsty terrorist who murdered young people for nationalist reasons, including a mother protecting her infant on the train. With a rifle and a knife, he slaughtered innocent, defenseless civilians until he was neutralized on the scene."
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