2011 Tel Aviv nightclub attack

The 2011 Tel Aviv nightclub attack was a combined vehicular assault and stabbing attack carried out on 01:50 (GMT+2) 29 August 2011 in which a Palestinian attacker stole an Israeli taxi cab and rammed it into a police checkpoint guarding the popular nightclub, Haoman 17, in Tel Aviv which was filled with 2,000 Israeli teenagers. After crashing into the checkpoint, the attacker jumped out of the vehicle and began stabbing several people. Five civilians and four police officers were injured in the attack.

The plan of the attacker allegedly was to strike some of the hundreds of teenagers present at the nightclub. Nevertheless, due to an Israel Border Police roadblock at the entrance and immediate response of the Border Police team during the stabbing spree, a much larger and fatal mass-casualty incident was avoided.

Background
The attack occurred during the time Israel was increasing security on its southern border following a series of militant attacks two weeks prior. The Israeli Defense Forces reported it had upgraded its presence along the border with Egypt after receiving an intelligence warning of a possible attack by Islamic Jihad.

Preparations for the attack
On Monday night 29 August 2011 an Israel taxi driver named Nachman Aji, who was driving his taxi in the streets of Jaffa, picked up a passenger who sat next to the taxi driver and asked to drive him to the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station.

According to the taxi driver's testimony, shortly thereafter, around 01:30, the passenger pulled out a sharp knife and demanded that the taxi driver hand him the cab while insisting that "I do not want to hurt you". The driver attempted to fight the passenger but after the passenger stabbed him in the arm he agreed to hand him the vehicle without resistance.

The attack
At around 01:40 the attacker drove the stolen taxi at full force into a Border Police roadblock, which was set in advance to secure the popular Haoman 17 nightclub Tel Aviv, one of Tel Aviv's most popular nightclubs. The club was holding an end-of-summer celebration at the time and according to an estimation of Aharon Aksul, the head of the Tel Aviv police district, the club consisted of above 1,000 teenagers at the time of the attack.

According to the testimonies of the people present at the scene, initially the incident was perceived as an accident, but soon after when the attacker rushed out of the vehicle with his knife and began stabbing random people while shouting "Allahu Akbar" (common Islamic Arabic expression which usually translated "God is [the] Greatest," or "God is Great"), it became clear to everyone at the scene that this was a terror attack.

The attacker managed to stab a few bystanders before the Border Police team at the site managed to wrestle the attacker to the ground and arrest him.

Around 03:00 the security forces at the site began evacuating the teenagers from the club.

In total eight people were injured in the attack, three of them seriously. The injured include four policemen and four civilians. The civilians injured in the stabbing attacks suffered from cuts in their heads, limbs and abdomen.

The perpetrator
After the attack, during the police investigation, it was revealed that perpetrator was a 20-year-old Palestinian named Muhammad Sa’afan who originated from Nablus in the West Bank. In the initial investigation the attacker insisted that he initiated, planned and prepared for the attack by himself, and that he bought the knife specifically for the stabbing attack and for the taxi robbery. Nevertheless, the Israeli security establishment attempted, among other things, to figure out whether the perpetrator acted alone or whether he operated under the instructions and assistance of a terror organization.

According to a police official in Tel Aviv, the attacker has received preliminary information about the big party which took place at the "Haoman 17" nightclub during that specific time. The police official also stated "no one arrives by chance to such an event by chance to carry out a stabbing attack at that late hour, unless one has preliminary information".

Official reactions

 * Involved parties
 * Israel's interior security minister praised the police response, stating "the message of this event is that the police officers are the bullet-proof vest that prevents terror attacks against teenagers."
 * Israeli security officials expressed concern regarding how easily the suspect was able to reach Tel Aviv and that casualties could have been higher without the nearby roadblock. There was also fear of further attacks spurred by the end of Ramadan and the pending United Nations General Assembly vote on Palestinian independence.
 * Israeli security officials expressed concern regarding how easily the suspect was able to reach Tel Aviv and that casualties could have been higher without the nearby roadblock. There was also fear of further attacks spurred by the end of Ramadan and the pending United Nations General Assembly vote on Palestinian independence.

Palestinian territories:
 * The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack. An official statement issued by the PA President's Office in Ramallah said, "The president condemns the attacking of civilians, including the event that took place in Tel Aviv this morning."


 * International
 * – US State Department condemned the attack stating "the United States condemns in strongest terms yesterday's brutal attack on innocent civilians in Tel Aviv."

Aftermath
Although police requested that the suspect's custody be extended to 15 days following his arrest, the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court extended it to only 10 days. The court hearing was held behind closed doors while the investigation was placed under a gag order. The perpetrator was convicted for the attack in March 2012.