Israeli Attempts to Assault Minster Barkat During Boston Visit

An Israeli national attempted to assault Economy Minister Nir Barkat on Thursday morning during his visit to Jewish communities in Boston, Massachusetts, according to a report from his office.

Barkat’s security guards pushed away the attacker, preventing him from attacking the minister. As a result, Barkat himself did not suffer any injuries.

The attempted attacker has been arrested by Boston police.

A video that surfaced from the event shows a group of protestors following Barkat and his entourage through a hallway, with Barkat’s security team pushing people away. In the video, one person can be seen breaking through the team of security officials and running toward Barkat before quickly being swarmed by security and thrown to the ground.

Barkat himself made a public statement regarding the attempted attack. “Political murder is a matter of time in the State of Israel. Under the auspices of the protest, there are those who spilled the blood of elected officials. We are on a slippery and dangerous slope. I thank the security guards of the Personal Security Unit who repelled the attacker and prevented harm to me.

“Violence is the erosion of the foundation of democracy,” he wrote.