A terrorist stabbed three people in Raanana on Saturday afternoon before being overpowered and apprehended by security forces.

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The assailant attacked people on Anilevich and Ramchal Streets, inflicting serious wounds on one victim and lightly wounding two others.

Outside the house where the terrorist was caught in Ranana (Photo: Hillel Atlan)

Witnesses said the terrorist attempted to enter a synagogue about 300 meters from where he was caught. According to witnesses, he attacked a woman and passersby immediately began chasing him. A civilian reportedly fired warning shots into the air. The terrorist then fled about 300 meters and entered a house on an adjacent street.

He then fled into the house's yard, where he was confronted by police. A police officer drew his gun, at which point the terrorist dropped his knife. Police found a knife in the yard.

Terrorist being overpowered by security forces (צילום: הלל אטלן ודוברות מד"א )

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The attacker was identified as Mahmoud Faisal Basharat, a 20-year-old Palestinian from the village of Tamun near Jenin, who was living in Israel illegally.

It soon emerged that the terrorist nearly succeeded in massacring a family inside the home. Dikla Dvir, 46, had the presence of mind to shove the terrorist outside. A friend said she had spoken to Dvir, who described the sequence of events.

The friend explained that the Dvir family lives on the ground floor and that the terrorist entered through a ground floor window. Dvir began to scream when she saw the terrorist and he tried to stab her, and she then shoved him outside and locked the window. Her husband and son, who is ten and a half, were with her.

"She called the police," recounted the friend. "Her husband outside and she pulled him inside. She has suffered a serious trauma and her 10-and-a-half-year-old son who was in the house is in shock and cannot move."

Security forces, believing another terrorist may have been on the run, launched a widespread search in the city, ultimately ultimately concluding that there was no second suspect.

Police officer searches for possible second terrorist in Raanana (Photo: Ido Erez)

Police search Raanana (Photo: Hillel Atlan)

This is the third stabbing attack to hit Raanana in the current terrorism wave. The other two occurred on the same day in October 2015.