Israel says 'terror' behind deadly Haifa shooting

An Israeli shot dead by a young Arab man in Haifa at the start of January was the target of a "terror attack", spurred on by the taunts of a girlfriend, authorities said today.

On January 3, Guy Kafri was shot dead in the coastal city, shortly after Yehiel Illouz was wounded by gunfire elsewhere in the city of northern Israel.

Authorities issued a gag order and launched an investigation and within a few days Mohammed Shinawi, a 21-year-old Arab, handed himself in, police said in a statement.

The Shin Bet internal security agency said Shinawi had allegedly targeted Illouz, a rabbi, because of his "Jewish appearance" and then shot at a woman, but missed.

Returning to his home in the Halisa district, he saw Kafri, a driver, and shot him dead.

Police said Shinawi had told Shin Ben investigators he was motivated by a "hatred of Jews" as well as his growing religious observance and belief that Jews were "infidels who deserved death".

Shinawi was allegedly pushed to carry out the attacks by his girlfriend calling him a "Zionist Jew" and "Jew lover".

Arab Israelis make up about 17.5 percent of the Jewish state's population.

Descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, they largely identify themselves as Palestinians.

Shinawi was charged in Haifa district court on Monday with ideologically or religiously motivated premeditated murder and attempted murder.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)