Beit Panorama Killer Found Guilty of Murder

Ra’ad Halil (al-Masalmah), 36, was found guilty Thursday of carrying out the stabbing attack at the Beit Panorama office complex in Tel Aviv last November. Halil confessed to carrying out the murders of two Israelis, Hy”d. He was also found guilty on three counts of attempted murder. Sentencing will take place at a later date.

Thirty-two-year-old Aharon Yisayev from Holon, Hy”d, and 51-year-old Reuven Aviram from Ramle, Hy”d, were murdered in the attack at a religious articles factory that housed a small synagogue for the benefit of the workers in a south Tel Aviv building. The two were killed when Halil tried to get into the shul as a Minchah minyan was just starting, stabbing the victims right outside the room. People inside the room blocked the door for several long minutes as the terrorist tried to barge inside. Eventually, an individual with a gun was able to shoot the terrorist, wounding him moderately.

Halil, a resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Dura, used an entry permit into Israel proper in order to carry out the attack. Halil had been given the permit for a 24-hour period on November 15 in order to take care of “personal matters.” He came to Beit Panorama to see his brother, who had an Israeli work permit and lives in the complex. Halil allowed his entry permit to lapse, and after a week, he decided to carry out a terror attack, the indictment said.