The Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court today (Friday) extended by 12 days the detention of the suspect in the murder of toddler Ilai Kiroshin yesterday in Lod. The suspect will be sent for psychiatric observation. He allegedly attacked him in the head after having a psychotic attack. At this hour, Ilai, only two years old, is laid to rest in the cemetery in Rishon LeZion.
The scene of the stabbing of the toddler in Lod // MDA Spokesperson's Office
"This is a tragic and unbearable case. The case contains many, many different and varied indications of a mentally disturbed suspect who suffers from hearing voices and seeing figures," said attorney Yarom Gigi, who represents the suspect. "He saw figures who instructed him to harm the deceased. The court accepted the defense's position to examine his legal and mental competence under hospitalization conditions, after which we will understand what the suspect's mental state was at the time of the offense."
The unusual incident occurred yesterday morning. Ilai's mother was with him on the street when suddenly the suspect approached them and began attacking him with a sharp object without any warning. Eyewitnesses said the mother tried to protect her son. Other civilians tried to help get the suspect away from the toddler. He was eventually arrested and Ilai was taken in critical condition to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect was arrested and his interrogation revealed that he was having a psychotic attack. It is now being investigated what his background was and whether the authorities knew he was a danger to the public. There was no acquaintance between him and Ilai's family. They immigrated to Israel less than a year ago and lived in Lod.
Adv. Yaron Gigi, Photo: None
M., a neighbor of the family, said everyone was in shock. "We can't believe anything like this has happened. Ilai was a sweet, smiling boy. We are shocked by what happened. This is a family that immigrated to Israel only this year and tried very hard to integrate here. It's just a horrific event."
Elvira Kolihman, a city council member who holds the immigrant portfolio, who has been accompanying the family since they immigrated to Israel and moved to Lod, wrote this morning: "A difficult day passed in our neighborhood yesterday with the shocking murder of a two-year-old toddler. A tragic incident that happened in one moment without any prior background."
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