An indictment was filed on Thursday against R., a 47-year-old resident of Holon, for allegedly transporting the terrorist responsible for planting explosive devices on buses in Holon and Bat Yam, Israel Police announced
According to the indictment, R. received NIS 450 in exchange for driving the suspect.
Investigators determined that Y., a taxi driver from Bat Yam, facilitated contact between R. and the terrorist by providing the latter with R.'s phone number.
During questioning, R. admitted to transporting the terrorist but claimed he was unaware of his identity. Following the indictment, a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove R. knowingly assisted a terrorist. As a result, he was released under house arrest.
R. was initially detained by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) before being transferred within the past 24 hours to an Israel Prison Service (IPS) facility. While in Shin Bet custody, he was reportedly denied access to legal representation.
After finally meeting with his attorney, R. described harsh detention conditions, stating: “I am being held in a dark cell 24 hours a day. The only light comes from the direction of the toilet. The guards throw food at me like they would to a dog.”
What happened on the day of the terror attack?
During his interrogation, R. recounted the events of the attack day, stating that he picked up the terrorist from a construction site. He explained that Y., the taxi driver, had connected them by passing along his phone number. The terrorist then called R., who provided transportation twice that day—first in the afternoon, from central Israel to a checkpoint. Later that evening, R. received another call from the terrorist requesting a ride from the checkpoint to Bat Yam. R. maintained that he was unaware of the contents of the suspect’s bag.
“He sat next to me with a bag—I didn’t know there was an explosive device inside or that he was a terrorist. I dropped him off in Bat Yam and left,” R. told investigators. He admitted to transporting the suspect in exchange for payment.
Security sources told Kan News that the wave of bombings was thwarted approximately two weeks ago. However, contrary to earlier reports, the individual believed to have planted the explosive devices has not yet been apprehended. Authorities have identified him as a Palestinian from the northern West Bank, but the search remains ongoing.
According to Kan News, two suspects transported the terrorist from the checkpoint to the attack site. R.’s first interaction with the terrorist reportedly took place in the afternoon when he picked him up from a construction site in central Israel and drove him to the checkpoint.
Hours later, the terrorist contacted R. again, asking to be picked up and driven to Bat Yam. When R. arrived, the terrorist entered the vehicle and later moved to sit beside him while carrying a bag that investigators now believe contained an explosive device.
After being dropped off in Bat Yam, the terrorist boarded a bus and planted the device, which later detonated.