[ot-caption title=”Israeli police in Tel Aviv after the shootings. (Via, Daniel Ber On/EPA)”]

Although there have been sporadic anti-Israel attacks by Palestinians in recent months, such as various stabbings, the most recent terror attack occurred in Tel Aviv on January 1st, 2016. Nishat Milhem, a 29-year old Arab/Palestinian-Israeli citizen (now fugitive) from the city of Arara in northern Israel, opened fire in a Tel Aviv pub. With 2 civilians killed and 7 injured, the fugitive remains at large, reportedly hiding out in the West Bank, according to the killer’s family.

However, this is not the first offense of Milhem. Back in 2007, Milhem was imprisoned for five years after he attacked an Israeli soldier. While in prison, Milhem requested anger management courses, but the request was ignored by the prison system. After this, he was given a psychiatric examination and was in need of treatment. Sami Milhem, Nishat Milhem’s lawyer and relative, told an Israeli news network, “He is not of sound mind.” Relatives of his have also said he was depressed and working many menial jobs in time leading to that attack.

The attack took place in central Tel Aviv, Israel, in a bar off of Dizengoff street. According to “Israel’s Army Radio,” the owner of the bar stated, “A man with automatic weapon arrived and started shooting people all over the place.” Nati Shakked, a nearby bar owner, said Milhem waited on a bench outside before taking a machine-gun out of a bag and begin “shooting in every direction.” “It was a terrorist attack, without a doubt,” he told Israel’s Channel Two television.

Meanwhile, the manhunt for Milhem is continuing. Israeli police have begun searching Arab towns to locate the fugitive. The Palestinian Authority has even announced that they would cooperate with Israel with the efforts to capture the fugitive. “He’s an Israeli citizen and if we capture him we will hand him over to the Israeli authorities,” the official said. “We won’t allow our territories to become safe havens for criminals.” One day after the suspect’s father spoke to the press, pleading for his son to turn himself in, the father was arrested on charges of possibly aiding and cooperating with the killer. Juadat, Milhem’s brother, has also been detained for similar charges. Despite these arrests, Milhem still remains in hiding after his attack in the Tel Aviv pub.

Sources: CNN, Jerusalem Post, Yahoo! News, Aljazeera, NBC news, Times of Israel, Ynet News.

Photo Source: Daniel Ber