Four people were injured in a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israeli emergency services said.
Ichilov Hospital said it was treating three of the victims, including one suffering “in serious condition with a knife wound to the neck.” The attacker, a 28-year-old foreign national, was shot dead at the scene, police said.
Israel’s intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, said it was investigating after a decision was made allowing the man, believed to have Moroccan nationality and US permanent residency, to enter the country.
It was the second stabbing in Tel Aviv in four days, after another person was attacked on Saturday before being shot dead by an armed civilian.
Tuesday’s attack took place on Nahalat Binyamin Street, an area popular for its restaurants and nightlife, and nearby Gruzenberg Street, where the attacker stabbed another person and was shot dead.
Israeli media reported that a US residence permit and a border control ticket were found on the attacker’s body.
He entered Israel on a tourist visa on January 18.
Border and immigration forces had raised objections to the man’s entry into Israel while he was at Ben Gurion Airport, but Shin Bet security approved his entry, declared Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel.
“I call on Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to investigate this serious incident and learn from it as soon as possible,” he added.
The Shin Bet responded: “Upon the individual’s entry into Israel, a security assessment was conducted, including interrogation and additional checks, which concluded that there was no reason to deny his entry for security reasons. The incident will be investigated.
Hamas did not claim responsibility but praised the attack in a statement.
