(JNi.media) Eritrean citizen Haftom Zarhum, initially listed as the victim of a “lynch” mob following a terrorist attack at the central bus station in Beer Sheva Sunday, was killed by gunfire and not from the violence that was inflicted on him posthumously, according to the findings of an autopsy conducted by the National Forensic Institute at Abu Kabir.
Haftom, 29, worked in a nursery in Ein Habsor. Guy Malachi, CEO of the nursery, described him as a devoted employee with a pleasant demeanor, who was beloved by his colleagues. “We are saddened and pained by Haftom’s shocking death, everyone loved him,” he said.
Despite the forensic evidence, Negev District police investigators plan to locate all videos and security cameras that shot the event and identify individuals who carried out the lynching of the helpless Zahrum.
One of the participants in the violence against Zahrum, a shawarma stall employee, told Channel 2 News: “I myself threw the bench [that knocked him down], I’m sorry about it. Because of the fear you don’t know what you’re doing any more. Unfortunately he was not a terrorist.”
Police also intend to carry out a thorough investigation of the quality of the security service at the central station, primarily to find out how the terrorist, armed with a knife and a gun, managed to enter the station without being discovered by security guards.
Police Negev District Commander Brigadier General Amnon Alkalay ordered investigators to locate the civilians who were in the central station during the attack, and who beat Zarhum, and summon them for questioning. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on Tuesday night called for a trial for participants in the lynching.