Israel Police on Wednesday morning returned the weapons of the two Israeli civilians who saved lives by killing the terrorist on Tuesday in Beer Sheva. A public uproar ensued on Tuesday evening after it was reported that the police not only refused to return the weapon to one of the civilians who was scared for his personal safety after photos of him killing the terrorist circulated online, but threatened to arrest him if he continued to refuse to leave the police station without it. About 200 Be’er Sheva residents even carried out a protest outside the police station, yelling “Shame, shame.” The protesters said that they were not only demonstrating against that day’s incident but were also protesting against the police for allowing the Negev to deteriorate into a state of lawlessness. Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai was booed when he arrived at the scene of the terror attack, another sign of southern residents’ years-long frustration about the security situation. Southern residents expressed their outrage of the government’s abandonment of the south to the surging Arab crime and terror to an Arutz Sheva reporter on Wednesday: “They need to send a battalion into Hura and clean the place out,” one resident said. “Who cares what [United Arab List chief MK Mansour] Abbas will say? Who does he think he is? Go in there, take all of the guns, and put up roadblocks 24 hours a day. Let Bennett tell Mansour Abbas: ‘I’m tired of this, it can’t continue like this.’ Go to new elections. What are you afraid of?” Another resident said: “Israel has abandoned the south, no doubt about it, and will continue to do so. They promised us 30,000 additional police officers, which were never sent; they promised residents security, but citizens don’t see that happening.” Following the storm of criticism against the police, including from government MKs, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai ordered the ballistic analysis lab in Jerusalem to be opened overnight in order that the weapons could be tested quickly and returned to their owners. Although confiscating weapons used to kill terrorists for ballistics tests is standard procedure as part of a police investigation, the police were criticized for not making an exception in this case. אין מצב שמישהו יפחד לירות במחבלים!!מפנקים באלף פעמים חי!!!!מחבקים את האזרח היורה.תורמים עכשיו https://t.co/wdnFCMSAT7 pic.twitter.com/fnyoeWXgrX — צבי סוכות (@tzvisuccot) March 22, 2022 (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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