The investigation into the death last November of the scissors stabber teen terrorist is closed.
Officials said they would close the case due to lack of evidence of criminal intent on the part of the police officer who shot and killed 16-year-old Hadil Wajia Awad, Channel 2 reported on Saturday. The officer, who was off-duty at the time, was closely questioned by the Police Investigations Unit.
The investigation was opened by then-Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein in response to claims the officer continued to shoot after the teen was no longer a danger. But during questioning the officer reportedly claimed he had warned the girl before shooting her, and she disregarded the warning. He was concerned over the possibility she might have also been carrying a bomb – an issue he could not disregard – and that she might detonate the explosive .
He was also “not sure the terrorist was sufficiently wounded” as to be unable to continue to harm others, police said – noting there have been other instances in which terrorists continued to attack after being shot.
Awad and her 16-year-old cousin together attacked an old man who was sitting on a bench near the Mahane Yehuda open air market, believing him to be a Jew.
The girls had carefully wrapped the scissor handles together with tape so as to unite the points into a sharp knife. But they were not as careful in choosing their target: the 70-year-old man they stabbed and wounded was a Jerusalem Arab, not a Jew.
The two terrorists were shot by an armed citizen, and the police officer, who is a member of the bomb squad. Awad’s cousin was wounded and survived: she was charged with attempted murder.