Israeli Police and Shin Bet Release Armed Shooting Suspect’s Photo in Rare Move

The Israeli Police and Shin Bet issued an unusual joint statement on Thursday afternoon, releasing the photo of a suspect wanted for a shooting incident in northern Israel. Security forces and special units are actively searching in the Haifa and northern districts, including the Krayot area, for a man suspected of firing shots overnight near the city of Shefa-Amr and fleeing the scene. Authorities warned the public that the suspect may be armed and urged anyone who encounters him to report immediately to the police emergency number 100.

The suspect reportedly entered a mosque in Shefa-Amr the previous evening and fired a shot, apparently to intimidate one of the worshippers. No injuries were reported from this incident. Video footage from Shefa-Amr shows security forces ordering the suspect to exit the mosque with his hands raised, but he escaped and remains at large.

This shooting follows a recent wave of violence in Shefa-Amr, where just the day before, bus driver Ali Suad was murdered, marking the 36th fatality in an ongoing local conflict. Ali Suad was the cousin of Hadi Suad, a 28-year-old with special needs who was shot dead in Shefa-Amr a month ago. Hadi’s brother, Raslan, was killed in 2023, becoming the first victim of this violent feud. Despite the frequency of such shootings in Shefa-Amr and other towns, it is rare for police to release photos of suspects, even when they are known to authorities.