Zada, who opened fire on passengers on a public bus driving through the village of Shfaram under unclear circumstances, was handcuffed and in the custody of police when an Arab mob surrounded the bus, broke in, and killed him. A video of the lynch, with Zada seen alive after being placed in police custody, was aired by Channel 10 shortly after the incident.
It remains unclear whether Zada planned the attack in advance or whether something happened on the bus to provoke it, but the identities of the Arabs who killed Zada are known by the police. In the past, Jews who attacked or killed Arab terrorists after they were subdued or in police custody have been prosecuted in court.
Police are reportedly concerned that the arrest of those who killed Zada, combined with the fifth anniversary of the Israeli Arab riots at the beginning of the Oslo War, could set off an "Israeli Arab Intifada."
Channel 10 interviewed a senior police official who said that Regional Police Commander Dan Ronen had instructed the investigative committee not to carry out any arrests, for fear of inflaming the Arab sector in the north and its leaders. The senior officer also said that Ronen feared that the resulting riots would endanger his chances of being promoted to the position of Deputy Police Commander of Israel Police.