Ra’anana Terror Stabber Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison

A Lod court on Thursday sentenced an Arab terrorist to 21 years in prison for a stabbing attack in Ra’anana in 2015 that left four people injured. Khaled Basti, the 30-year-old terrorist from Yerushalayim, was also ordered by the court to compensate his victims to the tune of tens of thousands of shekels apiece.

The attack occurred on Ra’anana’s Achuza Street, the city’s main street, in October 2015. Basti pulled out a knife and begin wildly stabbing passersby, injuring four – two of them seriously. He was then shot by a security officer and was arrested several minutes later by police. He has been in custody since then, and the sentence was the result of a plea deal. As an Israeli resident, Basti is also likely to be sued by his victims in a civil action.

Earlier Thursday, police announced that they had arrested an illegal Arab worker at a building site in Tel Aviv who had planned to carry out a terror attack. The Arab admitted that he planned to carry out a stabbing attack in the city. He was arrested, and police plan to ask for an extension of his remand when he is arraigned later Thursday.