Border Police Officer Killed by Terrorist at Be’er Sheva Central Bus Station

A 25-year-old female Border Police officer, Senior Sergeant Shira Chaya Soslik z”l, was killed and around 24 others were wounded in an Arab terrorist attack at the central bus station in Be’er Sheva, just a few feet away from the Azrieli Negev Mall.

The attack was reportedly carried out in three separate areas in the central bus station, which is quite large.

Soroka Medical Center reports that 24 victims were brought to the hospital; nine were treated in the Trauma Unit, including two in serious condition, four with moderate wounds and the remainder with minor injuries.

In addition, 15 people suffering severe stress and anxiety were being treated at the hospital as well.

Among the wounded was a 20-year-old woman in serious condition and four people in their twenties, two with with moderate gunshot wounds. Others were reported with minor shrapnel wounds from shattered glass and other injuries.

Magen David Adom EMTs and Paramedics, along with United Hatzalah volunteer EMTs provided initial treatment to the wounded at the scene before evacuating them to nearby Soroka Medical Center.

“We saw a young woman lying unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing,” MDA senior paramedic Boris Mento said. “We conducted medical checks, but her injury was critical, and unfortunately, we had to pronounce her dead on scene.

“There was a lot of commotion; injured casualties were entering shops,” Mento added.

“During the search by MDA teams, we found several more injured people, all fully conscious and suffering from injuries. We provided them with medical treatment, including stopping bleeding and administering pain relief, and evacuated them in MDA MICUs to hospital in stable condition.”

The terrorist, who was an Israeli citizen and was killed by security forces at the scene, has been identified as 29-year-old Mohammad Saeed Al-Aqabi. He is related to Muhannad Khalil Al-Aqabi, who perpetrated a similar terror attack at the same location in October 2015.

He is a member of the al-Uqbi (also known as “Al Aqabi”) clan and was a resident of the unrecognized village of Al-Uqbi, according to Israeli media.

The village of Al-Aqabi (Al-Uqbi) is located near the Negev Bedouin town of Hura on Highway 31, about 20 minutes’ drive from the central bus station.

Eyewitnesses quoted by Israeli media said the terrorist wore a ceramic bulletproof vest and had a criminal record. His name has not yet been released.

This past March, an IDF officer sustained minor wounds after an Arab terrorist stabbed him with a knife at the same bus station.

A second soldier, a trainee in the Nachal Infantry Brigade, responded by shooting and killing the terrorist. The terrorist was from the Bedouin village of Rahat.

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