Israeli police stated that contrary to rumors circulating online, the security incident in the Krayot area is not suspected to be terror-related. The background is a criminal shooting that occurred last night in a mosque in Shfaram; the suspect fled armed and was being searched for. During the searches, the suspect's vehicle was located in the Krayot area with no irregularities found, police said.
Police officially ruled out a terror suspicion in the Krayot area security incident, confirming in a statement Thursday afternoon that the background is a criminal shooting. The clarification came after online rumors had circulated of a possible attack. Earlier Thursday, at 12:35 Jerusalem, the Zvulun Police had completed searches for a vehicle linked to a reported overnight shooting in the Krayot area, locating the car with no irregularities found. The new statement from police stems from the same incident, now explicitly attributing to a shooting that occurred Wednesday night in a mosque in Shfaram.
Antecedents: The initial police operation was reported at 12:35 Jerusalem, when Kiryat Yam Mayor Tziki Avraham confirmed searches for a suspicious vehicle. Shortly after, police announced the vehicle was cleared. The mosque shooting itself occurred Wednesday night, and The Zioneer reported at 23:51 Jerusalem that police released footage of the search for the gunman, who fled the scene armed. The suspect remains at large.
Background: The Shfaram mosque shooting is one of several violent incidents in the area. The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday (07:12 Jerusalem) that a burned car in Shfaram was being investigated for a possible link to a fatal shooting earlier that morning. Separately, a wedding incident in Shefa-Amr (Shfaram) involving armed men led to arrests; all 11 suspects were released by June 15, with police investigation ongoing.
The gunman in the mosque shooting is still not arrested, and the investigation into the criminal background continues. Police have not disclosed a motive.
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