The man responsible for the murder of three people and wounding of eight others at a Tel Aviv pub last week was found and killed by Israeli police, a police spokesperson revealed Friday.
The suspect, identified as Arab-Israeli Nasha'at Milhelm, was killed near his hometown in the Ar'ara area after a brief shootout with police, reported The Times Of Israel. He was tracked via a "personal item" to an abandoned building in the area where he had been hiding out ever since the attack.
Security forces had hoped to capture Milhelm alive, but soon after noticing their presence, Milhelm burst out of the building and fired at police using the same weapon he used for last Friday's shootings. Police immediately returned fire and killed him, putting an end to a week-long manhunt that had the entirety of the city on edge.
"The police have worked day and night to find the shooter and I'm very happy that we can see fruit from their efforts," Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said in a statement, according to NBC News.
The motive behind the Jan. 1 attack is still unknown. However, it does come at a time when tensions between Israel and Palestine have been running high. At the time of the attack, 25 Israelis have been killed, mostly in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks, while 138 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, most of whom were identified by Israel as "assailants," within a three-month period.
In addition to the two deaths outside the pub, authorities believe that Milhelm killed a taxi driver, whose taxi he hailed to make his escape, reported CNN.
