The Israel Police said on Tuesday night that the investigation into Sunday’s deadly truck-ramming incident in Glilot “strengthens the suspicion” that it was a terrorist attack.

Betzalel Carmi, 72, from Rishon Lezion, was killed and 36 others wounded when an Israeli Arab resident of Qalansawe crashed into a bus full of retirees who had just gotten off an intercity tourist coach outside of an Israel Defense Forces base north of Tel Aviv.

The Tel Aviv District’s central unit launched the probe into the incident.

“According to the investigation … a police officer present near the scene at the time climbed into the truck’s cab and was attacked by the truck driver with a rod he held (as shown in the body camera footage). As seen in the video, the officer fell from the cab due to the assault and immediately fired into the air out of fear for his life. Soldiers on the scene noticed the incident, fired at the driver and neutralized him,” police said in a statement.

“Based on the investigation findings thus far and footage showing the truck being intentionally steered toward civilians, with no attempt to brake (no skid marks on the road) and allegedly even accelerating, the suspicion that the ramming, which harmed civilians, was carried out with a nationalist motive has grown stronger,” the statement continued.

Preliminary autopsy results do not indicate that the driver had suffered a medical event that could have caused the crash, police said.

(JNS)