Mentally Ill Palestinian Wounded After Attempted Attack on Benjamin Farm Resident

A 29-year-old Palestinian man with a mental illness was moderately wounded on Saturday after he tried to attack a resident of a farm in the Benjamin area, and was neutralized by the resident, police said. According to the initial investigation, he arrived at the farm carrying a large stone, began acting erratically, threatened the resident, and tried to strike him with the stone.

Feeling endangered, the civilian fired his personal weapon and wounded the Palestinian, police said. The injured man was evacuated for medical treatment before security forces arrived, and is expected to be handed over later for questioning by security officials. Police from the Benjamin station in the Shomron district reached the scene after the farm owner reported the incident, together with IDF soldiers, and began investigating the circumstances.

The IDF said the man is a mental health patient. In a statement, police said, "The civilian, who felt threatened, fired his personal weapon at the assailant and thereby neutralized the danger posed by his actions." The Palestinian Red Crescent said he was injured in the abdomen and leg and was taken away from the scene, though police did not identify who evacuated him or where he was taken.