An Israeli prosecutor’s office confirmed Sunday that the country had filed a precedent-setting lawsuit against the family of a terrorist who drove a truck into a group of military personnel in January.
Fadi al-Qunbar killed four IDF soldiers in his truck attack before being shot and killed, prompting Israel to make the landmark decision to sue against any inheritance the terrorist left to his family, Haaretz Daily reported Sunday. The lawsuit, which is expected to be the first of many similar cases, demands 2 million New Israeli Shekel for each slain soldier, a total of more than $2.3 million.
The payments are intended to cover the loss of future earnings from the four soldiers, their loss of pension, as well as emotional damage to the families, Times of Israel reported.
“From now on, anyone who plots, plans or considers carrying out a terrorist attack will know that his family will pay a heavy price for his deed,” Minister of the Interior Arye Dery told Haaretz.
The state is reportedly already filing damages against the family of another terrorist and has plans to file more in what officials hope is an effective deterrent to would-be attackers.
In Qunbar’s attack, the IDF soldiers were exiting a bus at a popular tourist spot in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood when the attacker rammed his truck into the crowd. The bus driver said Qunbar plowed through the crowd before reversing over them when soldiers opened fire, killing Qunbar.
“Those who incite and fan the flames and those who support terror must pay a heavy price. I call on the residents of Jerusalem and the country at large to be alert,” Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said after the Jan. 8 attack.
Israel has frequently sued terrorists for damages after attacks, but in the past, the country dropped lawsuits when the perpetrator was deceased.
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