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Israel probing police shooting of Palestinian attacker

Xinhua, March 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israel said Thursday it was looking into the killing by police of a Palestinian attacker who stabbed to death a U.S. tourist earlier this week.

On Tuesday night, Bashar Massalha, 22, went on a stabbing spree in Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, killing Taylor Force, a 29-year-old American student, and wounding 11 others, before the police shot him.

Israel's Justice Ministry said in a statement that the Police Investigations Department has opened an examination to determine if a volunteer cop shot and killed the assailant after he was no longer posing a threat.

A spokesperson for the department said that they are only conducting an initial probe at the moment and not a criminal investigation.

The announcement followed video footage emerged from the scene of the stabbing, showing the attacker lying on the ground as a passerby shouting at the volunteer police "give it to him in the head! Don't be afraid!" A gunshot is heard while another voice is calling the policeman to stop shooting "Enough! He's lying on the ground neutralized, why shooting for no reason?"

The latest probe came amid accusations by Palestinians and international human rights organization that Israel uses excessive force in its effort to subdue a six-month Palestinian uprising, which left 28 Israelis, two U.S. citizens and at least 175 Palestinian killed.

The incident in Jaffa occurred as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was meeting with former Israeli President Shimon Peres at the nearby Peres Center for Peace. Biden denounced the attack and condemned the Palestinians for "failure to condemn" it.

A statement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas following his meeting with Biden offered his condolences to the family of the U.S. victim.

Abbas, meanwhile, stressed that Israel "murdered" almost 200 Palestinian during the recent bloodshed.

Israeli leaders accuse the Palestinian National Authority of inciting violence, while the Palestinians say it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of their lands. Endite