After Israeli soldier is killed, innocent bystander beaten to death by angry mob

Three people are dead in Beersheba, Israel, including an Israeli soldier and an innocent bystander who was incorrectly thought to be his killer's accomplice.

Police say an Arab man entered a bus station Sunday and began shooting and stabbing people, The Guardian reports. He shot and killed a soldier and then took his weapon, police say, and was then shot and killed himself; five officers and five civilians were also injured. A security guard then shot an Eritrean asylum seeker he suspected was the attacker's accomplice, and video footage filmed at the scene shows an angry mob kicking the innocent bystander, throwing a bench at him, and then pinning him to the ground with a chair. He later died of his injuries. The Guardian reports that after the event, a crowd of Israelis assembled at the station and chanted "Death to Arabs."

Over the past month, violence has spread across Israel, following tensions surrounding a site in Jerusalem that is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Israel has deployed soldiers to Jerusalem and other cities, and checkpoints have been set up at entrances to Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. On Sunday, Israeli police put up a barrier between the Jewish neighborhood of Armon Hanatziv and the Palestinian neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber, which officials say was home to several attackers.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up