IDF soldier who shot ‘Hero of Jerusalem terror attack’ arrested

The IDF reservist responsible for shooting armed civilian Yuval Castleman at the scene of the terror attack in Jerusalem was arrested early on Monday, according to Israeli media reports.

Castleman, 37, was killed by IDF reservist Sgt. Aviad Frija after shooting the perpetrators of the attack on Weizman Boulevard last week, an incident that left four dead and several injured, and for which Hamas has claimed responsibility.

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An attorney from Mevaseret Zion with a background in the security services, Castleman was driving to work when he witnessed the terror attack and responded to the threat by pulling over and drawing his gun, ultimately shooting the terrorists.

Frija said he believed Castleman was a terrorist and still posed a threat despite footage taken at the scene showing Castleman tossing his gun, falling to his knees and raising his arms above his head while shouting “Don’t shoot” as IDF soldiers approach him. He was then shot and killed in what his family are referring to as “an execution”, according to the Times of Israel.

However, Frija claims that Castleman “made suspicious movements with his hands”, according to testimony shared by his lawyers:

"From where the fighter was standing, from the sights he saw and the sounds he heard, the fighter was convinced with all his heart that he was firing at a terrorist who still posed a life-threatening danger to him and to everyone around him. He had no intention of carrying out an illegal ‘extra judicial killing,’ and this was not how he acted. Immediately, after he saw that that person was wounded and on the ground, he stopped shooting.”

Castleman’s father Moshe told Channel 13 news that the soldiers “didn’t read the situation correctly”:

“Right now, I can’t be judgmental, what would I have done in that situation? But I want them to thoroughly investigate this and draw conclusions from the incident.”

It remains unclear whether Frijas will be prosecuted and under what charge.

When asked about Castleman’s killing at press conference on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his government’s policy on encouraging eligible Israelis to carry weapons despite potential safety risks associated with liberalising gun laws:

“I think that in the current situation we need to continue with this policy — I definitely support it. We may pay a price, but such is life,” he said.