Newly released videos from the cellphone of the Arab-Israeli gunman who killed three people during a New Year’s Day rampage in Tel Aviv show the man denigrating “enemies of Islam” and using rhetoric similar to that used by the Islamic State, JNS.org reported Thursday.
Nashat Milhem killed two men and injured seven others in a Tel Aviv bar before fleeing and murdering a taxi driver. He died during a gun battle with Israeli security forces who found him in his home village a week after his escape.
Milhem lost his cellphone hours before embarking on his killing spree, and Israeli police have recovered several expletive-ridden personal videos from the device.
In one of the videos, which are embedded below, Milhem addressed President Barack Obama, saying, “Obama, you [Christian] crusader… convert to Islam… convert to Islam… Not converting? Let’s see if the cross will save you, you son of a whore.”
“I am rising up to our lord, the Prophet Muhammad, prayer and peace be unto him,” he continued. “Today, it is very simple…. You love our lord, prayer and peace be unto him…. You feel like these eyes [pointing to his eyes] want to see him… It is very simple… Die! Kill!”
In a second clip, Milhem warned, “There will soon be a second terrorist attack in Tel Aviv… So the Jews finally understand whom they are messing with… sons of whores.”
In another video, he is heard repeating various profanities against Shiite Muslims.
After Milhem’s death, the Palestinian Authority joined the terrorist organizations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in praising him, saying he was “one of the most precious martyrs whose name has been inscribed with his pure blood that watered the soil of our free land.”
Fatah—the party of PA President Mahmoud Abbas—also congratulated Milhelm on the attack, writing “may Allah receive you in Heaven” on its official Facebook page.
Hundreds of Palestinians marched in his honor in the Gaza Strip, with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh saying that Milhem “went in the streets of Tel Aviv like a brave hero in order to bring them death.”
The village council of Arara, where Milhem’s family lives, condemned the attacks and sent its condolences to the families of the victims. “The council makes clear that this is the action of one man and is not representative of the village, and stresses that the incident is alien to our culture and the culture of the village,” it said in a statement. Milhem’s father Muhammad, a volunteer police officer, initially alerted local authorities that the gunman was his son after seeing footage of the bar shooting on television. He also expressed his sorrow over the attacks.
According to Haaretz, several youths from Arara marched on the streets following Milhem’s death, chanting, “With blood, with fire, we’ll avenge the martyr.”
[Photo: Judah Ari Gross / YouTube]