Rabbi Amos Guetta, a prominent 75-year-old kabbalist and head of the Rabbi Yitzhak Chai Taib Yeshiva, was stabbed to death on Shimon Bar Yochai Street in Netanya on Wednesday, Hebrew media outlets reported.
According to the Ynetnews, the attack occurred shortly after dawn prayers. The rabbi, a well-known figure in the city, was fatally wounded during an altercation inside his residence.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it received a report of the stabbing at about 5:45 a.m. local time. Paramedics performed resuscitation efforts while transporting Guetta to the hospital, where he died of multiple stab wounds.
According to a preliminary police investigation, the suspect is a man in his 20s who authorities believe suffers from mental illness. Investigators said he had been part of Guetta’s religious circle and was among the rabbi’s students or followers.
Police said the suspect apparently wanted to pray with Guetta. An argument broke out, after which the suspect allegedly stabbed the rabbi four times while he was in bed.
The suspect also allegedly attempted to stab the rabbi’s assistant before fleeing. He was arrested about two hours later in central Netanya.
