The reenactment was ordered by the Petach Tikvah court where Issa is standing trial for his wild driving. The Kaft Qassem Arab told the court that he wasn't a terrorist, and that he had never participated in Arab protests against Israel's existence. He said that he had lost control of the vehicle, and that he kept trying to figure out a way to stop the vehicle.
Despite his testimony, police have not backed down from their assertion that the incident was likely a terrorist attack. The assertion is based on Issa's actions after the vehicle stopped; he tried to violently resist arrest, and witnesses heard him shout anti-Israel epithets.
Issa killed Aviv Morag, originally from Caesarea. He had been set to be married. Eighteen other people were injured, some seriously. Issa has been in custody since the attack.
Witnesses told police that Issa shouted “Allah hu-akhbar” after stopping the vehicle. “As soon as I saw this I realized this was no accident,” said one witness. “I jumped on him from behind with others, and we managed to pull him down to the ground. We held him there by force, as he was kicking and flailing his arms, trying to escape. Police finally arrived ten minutes later,” the witness said.
