Suspect in Fatal Hit-and-Run of Teen Released to House Arrest

A 21-year-old man suspected of fatally hitting a teenager in a parking lot has been released to house arrest. Mahmoud Samhat of Kafr Mandi was ordered to remain under house arrest until October 1, following a hearing at the Hadera Magistrate's Court. He is accused of striking and killing 17-year-old Amihai Attia in the "Mole Ha'Hof Village" shopping center parking lot in Hadera on the night before Yom Kippur.

During the hearing, Judge Ehud Kaplan addressed Samhat's claim that he fled the scene because a crowd was chasing him and attempting to lynch him. The judge determined that Samhat did not realize he had hit someone, thus precluding charges of leaving the scene of an accident. The investigation suggests Samhat did not intentionally hit Attia, and at most, the incident involved negligence that was "not at a high level."

Judge Kaplan stated, "It is quite clear that those responsible for the tragic outcome are those people who chased him, not him, even if he has a part in the matter which will be clarified later." The investigation into Samhat's actions is ongoing, and his responsibility for the event has not yet been determined.

Samhat's attorney, Yusef Shlavi, expressed satisfaction with the house arrest decision, reiterating that his client fled a mob of dozens at the mall who intended to lynch him and even shot at him. Attia, a resident of Itamar and a student at the Hatzim Yeshiva, was killed after attending a Selichot (penitential prayers) event. According to investigation details, after an altercation between youths and Samhat, who was driving a commercial vehicle, Attia was struck as Samhat began to drive away. Subsequently, a member of a neighborhood watch shot Samhat, wounding him lightly.