Israel: Milhem Was a Terrorist Acting Alone, But Had Lots of Help Hiding Out

The Times of Israel reports: Nashat Milhem, the Israeli Arab who killed three Israelis in Tel Aviv on January 1 and was shot dead in a gun-battle with security forces in his home village of Arara a week later, was a terrorist acting out of “nationalistic” motives, Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said on Saturday night.

Erdan said Milhem received assistance in escaping Tel Aviv on January 1 and, especially, as he hid out in the Arara area for a full week before he was confronted and killed on Friday afternoon. The wider operation against those who helped him “is continuing even as we speak,” Erdan said on Channel 2 news on Saturday night.

Channel 10 news reported that up to 15 alleged accomplices are either under arrest or being sought.

Channel 2 reported that initial indications are that Milhem was not part of a Hamas, Islamic State or any other formal terrorist group, and had chosen to go out and kill Israelis in Tel Aviv of his own volition.