Searching for the terrorist
Searching for the terroristIsrael Police spokesperson

An eyewitness recounted Thursday evening's grisly terror attack in Arad that took the life of Ron Yitzhak Kukia, a 19-year-old soldier from Tel Aviv.

"I drove into the roundabout when I suddenly saw someone holding his neck. I helped the medic treat him and put pressure on his neck. I then went looking for the knife that was used to stab him but didn't find it," Arad resident Akim Khromoshin told Yisrael Hayom.

"The paramedic told me that there was a very deep stab wound there", he continued. "[In Arad] we have been able to live peacefully with our Bedouin neighbors, but I don't think it will continue. It's a terrible feeling when someone dies in your arms. He was only a boy."

Police and the Shin Bet internal security agency have launched a manhunt to apprehend the perpetrator. "Following an initial investigation by police forces at the scene it appears that the motivation for the stabbing was a nationalistic one,” said a police statement.

Kukia was a soldier in the Nahal Brigade, whose training base is located in nearby Tel Arad. Ynet reported that he was waiting for a ride home when he was killed.

The stabbing drew a slew of angry reactions from politicians. "Security forces will not rest until they put their hands on the terrorist who murdered Nahal Brigade Sergeant Ron Yitzhak Kukia" said Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman.

Arad Mayor Nissan Ben Hamo said that Arad had joined other Israeli cities that had experienced terrorism. "From the moment of the incident until now, the municipal authorities, the Shin Bet and the police have not stopped, continuing their investigation througout the night."