The mayor of Kafr Qasim on Sunday defended his attendance at the nightly funeral of a local man who police say was shot dead in a terror attack, telling media he attended the funeral to ensure that the event takes place peacefully.
Mayor Adel Badir also continued to question whether the incident was indeed a terrorist attack, saying further investigation was needed to determine what happened.
Badir was criticized for his attendance the day before the funeral procession for Naim Badir, whose body was handed over to his family by Israel in exchange for a promise to hold a small, quiet burial with no more than 50 people.
Naim Badir was shot dead by police on Friday in what the force said was an attack involving an attempted shooting and then a car-ramming attack on officers in the Arab town, east of Tel Aviv.
There was no word on a family connection between the mayor and the suspected terrorist.
Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, who is set to become interior minister in the emerging government, criticized the mayor for showing up at the funeral.
“Seeing is not believing!” Deri wrote on Twitter. “Instead of condemning the terrorist attack in his town and inquiring about the welfare of the injured, a mayor…chose to attend the funeral of a disgusting terrorist who cruelly ran over and shot an officer and two policemen operating in the city. A shame.”
Badir told the Kan public broadcaster that he attended the funeral after coordinating with police and security officials, in an effort to maintain public order. He insisted he was not there to show support for the alleged terrorist act.
Badir said he trusted the police to find out what motivated Naim Badir and suggested possible explanations such as the suspect’s difficult childhood or recent personal issues.
“[The attack] may have been conducted for criminal, mental or security purposes [terror] reasons,” he said.
The funeral of suspected terrorist Naim Badir in Kafr Qasim on December 25, 2022. (Screen capture: Twitter; used pursuant to Section 27a of the Copyright Act)
“This is a very serious incident, regardless of the context, but the man’s motive has not yet been established,” Badir told Channel 12.
“Naim has recently been through a mental and financial crisis and it’s possible he felt threatened or even took pills – it could be anything,” he said. “His family also confirms that for the past two weeks he has been in a poor mental and financial state” and may have been involved in a dispute with other people.
Badir’s family initially strongly denied the incident was an attack, accusing the police of “killing our son in cold blood”.
However, speaking to Kan, Badir said the family now condemns what happened. He also said the family had no past connection with terrorist elements.
Police released extensive video and audio footage from the scene to support their claim that the the incident was a terrorist attack.
The police footage begins with CCTV footage of the entrance to Badir’s home, with audio of the phone call between the attacker and the approaching officer.
After calling the police to report a seemingly non-existent domestic violence incident, Badir can be heard directing the police officer to a certain location just outside the door of the building. The audio of the call is then cut off and Badir is seen charging out of the building, pointing a makeshift submachine gun at the officer and trying to open fire at close range.
The funeral of the young man, Naeem, in Deir, in the town of Kafr Qassem pic.twitter.com/LHS5OiH186
– Jerusalem Media (@qudsmedia2) December 24, 2022
With the gun apparently jammed, Badir is then seen retreating into the building.
The video then cuts to the cop’s helmet-mounted camera, as he takes cover, notifies a police control center of the incident, and calls for backup.
During this time, according to the police, the assailant threw Molotov cocktails at a police car. Police said they later found several more firebombs on the roof of the building where Badir had called the cops.
In the footage, a car’s engine can then be heard as Badir speeds in a car reversing towards officers and crashes into another vehicle alongside police, injuring three officers, before being shot.
A knife was later found in the car.
The Ynet news site reported that even after viewing the footage, Badir’s family denied the incident was a premeditated attack and said cops should have shot him in the legs instead of killing him.
A makeshift ‘Carlo’ submachine gun used by Naim Badir in an attack on police officers in Kafr Qasim, early December 2022. (Israel Police)
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said on Friday morning that “police responded quickly and prevented a larger planned attack on police forces.”
Central District Commander Avi Bitton said after an assessment with various security officials, including the Shin Bet security service, “it appears to be a planned terrorist attack a few days earlier.” .
Naim Badir (Courtesy)
A family statement insisted that “our son did not plan any attack. This is a false claim by the police to hide their failures in the face of crime in Arab society.
The incident came amid high tensions and frequent clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians, with most of the violence taking place in the West Bank. It also comes amid a wave of violent crime in Israel’s Arab community.
Molotov cocktails found on the roof of a building where an attack on police officers took place in Kafr Qasim, early December 23, 2022. (Israel Police)
Earlier this month, a Palestinian rammed a motorist in Tel Aviv with a vehicle. Police prosecutors said Monday they are considering filing terrorism charges against the suspect after an investigation revealed that the motive for the incident was nationalistic.
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
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