Israel shoots Jordanian at border after 'attempted kidnapping'

Israel shoots Jordanian at border after 'attempted kidnapping'
Questions raised about Israeli border security after a Jordanian national crosses into Israel.
1 min read
08 July, 2016
Israeli security forces failed to stop a Jordanian man from infiltrating their border [AFP]

Israeli security forces shot a 25-year-old Jordanian man on Friday morning after he crossed the Israeli border and threw stones at a vehicle in the Jordan Valley.

Security forces confirmed that the man, who was described as "mentally unstable", caused an Israeli woman in her twenties to lose control of her car and crash into guardrail.

The man, who was shot in the leg, was taken to Poriya Hospital near Tiberias, along with the lady who suffered minor injuries.

"An initial investigation into this morning's event revealed that a mentally unstable man from Jordan was able to cross into Israeli territory... and began throwing stones at passing vehicles with the goal of stealing a car," a statement from the IDF read.

"After the attempt proved unsuccessful, the suspect fled and was shortly afterwards confronted by security forces."

According to the statement, this was when the suspect was shot.

The incident is being treated as an attempted kidnapping, after the injured woman, Rotem Aharoni, told investigators that her assailant tried to pull her out of her car following the ambush from a nearby orchard.

Idan Greenbaum, head of Emek Hayarden Regional Council, described the attack as a "grave security threat" and demanded answers from Israel's security forcesn regarding the border breach.