The Israeli police are investigating a shooting incident that took place Monday morning near the city of Ra’anana, in which a man mistakenly suspected of being a terrorist was killed by a soldier nearby. In their first report, the police said that that event "requires a professional diagnosis", and that the deceased man was acting in a suspicious way walking around with a pocket knife.

Another man who was injured by shrapnel from the soldier's shooting told reporters that the suspect was armed with a knife, and tried to stab him. "The soldier shouted at him, 'Put the knife down,' he didn't put it down - then he shot at him". The man fled as soon as the shooting started, and was hit by shrapnel. According to the police, the man was not stabbed by the deceased suspect.

Thinking incident was a terror attack, Israeli soldier shoots mentally ill man who attacked traveler waiting for a bus in Ra'anana. https://t.co/yCEJoUogw7

— Israel National News - Arutz Sheva (@ArutzSheva_En) November 14, 2022

The soldier who pulled the trigger is under investigation, and it will be checked if he followed the Israel Defense Forces' guidelines for opening fire on suspects. The soldier, for his part, was certain that he was witnessing a terrorist attack, as were the first reports published from the scene of the shooting. Only later did it become clear that the person who was shot was not a terrorist and was Jewish-Israeli.

The police themselves confirmed that the citizen, a resident of Pardes Hana, was armed with a knife, based on numerous testimonies from witnesses. According to reports from the scene, he was suspected of being a terrorist after he advanced threateningly toward a nearby bus stop.

Raanana: un civil pris pour un terroriste a été abattu par un soldat de Tsahal pic.twitter.com/BeWAiyHoFn

— i24NEWS Français (@i24NEWS_FR) November 14, 2022

The report of the shooting was received at Magen David Adom's National (Emergency Ambulance Service) 101 hotlines in the Yarkon area at 07:17. "MDA medics and paramedics gave the wounded man medical treatment and evacuated him to the hospital with gunshot wounds," it was reported. The police clarified about half an hour later that the suspicion of a terrorist attack was ruled out. The suspect passed away from his wounds after arriving at the hospital.

OMG.....

Man shot dead by IDF soldier near Ra'anana after being mistaken for terroristhttps://t.co/7XB40l2EQI

— Avraham Israeli Zionist 🇮🇱🇨🇦 (@IsraeliAvraham) November 14, 2022

Dr. Uri Yaslovitz, director of the trauma service at the Meir Medical Center, told reporters the condition of the injured witness from shrapnel is moderate and stable. He was injured in his lower limb and was sent to emergency surgery immediately after arriving at the hospital.

False flag terrorist attacks are extremely rare in Israel, especially ones that result in the shooting of the thought to be terrorist. Often in events of similar nature in the past, soldiers who misjudged a situation and responded by opening fire are sentenced to incarceration by a military court.