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| “ | Do you know why you are here? It's better that you don't know. | „ |
| ~ Popper to his victims just before the shooting. |
Ami Popper (1969 - ) is an Israeli military veteran who committed a mass shooting at a bus stop in Rishon LeZion, killing seven Palestinian labourers. His motive is unknown as he gave several contradictory reasons as to why he committed the attack (known as the Oyoun Qara massacre), including trauma from having been molested by Arabs as a child and revenge for attacks by Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.[1] He is currently held in a maximum security prison.
Attack edit
Popper, a former IDF veteran who was discharged following a failed suicide attempt, stole five boxes of ammunition and a Galil assault rifle from his solider brother on May 20, 1990. At 6:15 a.m., Popper confronted a group of Palestinian Arab workers at a bus stop in Rishon LeZion and threatened them with the Galil. The workers were forced to hand over their ID cards to prove they were Arab. Once he had confirmed they were Arab, Popper forced them to kneel down in front of him. He also allegedly stopped a passing car with Arab plates and made the passengers join the men from the bus stop. Popper then waited for the traffic lights to go green before spraying the victims with gunfire and escaping in his car. Seven of the victims died instantly, and a further ten to eleven were seriously injured.[1][2]
Aftermath edit
Within an hour of the shooting, Popper was arrested. The news of the shooting resulted in a wave of protests, and Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protestors. The Israeli police ultimately killed nineteen protestors. Despite claims that Popper might have been insane, including a dismissal of him as a "madman" by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, he was found competent to stand trial. In 1991, he was convicted of seven counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1999, Benjamin Netanyahu commuted Popper's sentence to forty years.[3]
During his time in prison, Popper converted to Judaism and married a Canadian Jew in 1993. Conjugal visits were arranged and they had three children. However, he was ultimately transferred to a maximum security prison after a harassment incident. At some point, Popper had appealed to President Moshe Katsav to pardon him, but Katsav refused. When Katsav was later convicted of rape and sexual harassment, he was placed in the same prison as Popper, who repeatedly bullied Katsav and sent others to harass him. As a result, Popper is now serving the remainder of his sentence in the maximum security Ayalon Prison.[4]
While on a 48-hour release from prison in 2007, Popper was driving (illegally and without a license) when he crashed the car into oncoming traffic due to his bad driving. Popper's wife and one of his three sons was killed and he himself was injured.[5] While back in prison, he remarried, divorced and married his third wife wife, "M" who had previously made headlines by allegedly allowing her children to be abused.[6] Popper remains in prison.
Despite his horrific crimes, Popper is considered a hero by many radical Jews such as the Jewish Defense League. The JDL's late founder Meir Kahane held a celebration of the Oyoun Qara massacre just two days after it occurred.[7] Many far-right politicians in Israel have also called for Popper to be released.[8]
References edit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jewish Terrorism in Israel by Ami Pedahzur and Arie Perliger, Columbia University Press
- ↑ After bullying Katsav, Jewish terrorist Ami Popper moved to New Prison, Haaretz
- ↑ Jewish inmate seeks 'pardon' like Palestinian prisoners, The Times of Israel
- ↑ Ami Popper to be transferred after harassing Katsav in jail, Ynet
- ↑ Wife, son of Arab workers' murderer die in accident, Ynet
- ↑ Match made in hell: Ami Popper weds mother of abused kids, Ynet
- ↑ Imperial Israel and the Palestinians: The Politics of Expansion by Nur Masalha, Pluto Press
- ↑ Analysis: Israeli government starts by pushing far-right agenda, Al Jazeera