Six suspects were arrested by the police on suspicion of being involved in a shooting incident that occurred Friday evening in a residential neighborhood in the city of Afula in northern Israel, police announced on Saturday.
The incident was said to be criminal, involving a family from the city and criminals from the Arab village Sulam. Video documentation of the event showed gunmen opening fire in the middle of the street.
The incident began when criminals arrived in the area and opened fire while several people were returning from synagogue and other residents were making their way to Shabbat dinner. One of the criminals tried to hide in a synagogue.
מרדף וירי בלב העיר: חמושים פתחו באש בלב שכונת מגורים בעפולה, תושבים הסתגרו בבתיהם וחששו שמדובר בפיגוע. המשטרה עצרה במהלך הלילה חמישה מעורבים | תיעוד (מיכל וסרמן)(צילום: שימוש לפי סעיף 27 א') pic.twitter.com/DntBhoE7kK
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The incident caused a huge panic among Afula's residents, who contacted security forces, with KAN reporting that they locked themselves in their homes. The police arrived at the scene and arrested five, having already arrested one before, shortly after opening an investigation into the incident. No casualties were reported.
Testimonies by Afula's residents
One resident of Afula told Maariv that "the whole city is talking about the fact that there was a shooting and civilians managed to take control of the suspects. This is not the first criminal incident in Afula, and I can tell you that residents are afraid to speak out, but what is going on here is scary. When there are criminals in the city, it is not surprising that crime is rampant."
Another resident told Maariv that "it was very scary to hear this, especially since they shouted 'Allahu Akbar' and fled in a car." Afula residents also wrote about their feelings in the city's Facebook group after the shooting occurred.
"It was just scary, a scary scene. We were sure it was terrorists," one user wrote. Another user added: "I live not far from this street, and I heard several loud shots. Thank God it ended like this. It happened near schools and playgrounds — it's just very scary. It's a miracle that it ended without casualties."
One resident, Rafael, told N12 that some people came out of their homes with pistols and rifles.
"There were those who hid in the synagogue's toilets. After October 7, every shooting is scary. There were those who shouted at the citizens and the police: 'Kill him, shoot him, he's a terrorist,'" he added. Another resident told N12, "Arab criminal organizations are bringing their conflicts to Jewish cities and endangering innocent lives. This is a very quiet neighborhood, and people still haven't recovered from what happened."
Police are also expected to request an extension of the suspects' detention at the Nazareth Magistrate's Court.
Alon Hachmon contributed to this report.
