JERUSALEM (JTA) — The family of the Israeli Embassy security guard who shot and killed two Jordanians after being stabbed has left its home after a newspaper in Jordan made the guard’s identity public.
The identity of the guard, Ziv Moyal, 28, from a moshav in southern Israel, had been censored in Israeli reports, which identified him only by his first name and his photo blurred.
On Sunday, Jordan’s al-Ghad published the photo of Moyal’s embassy ID, which listed his full name in Arabic.
Moyal’s family, fearing for its safety, reportedly moved in with relatives.
During the incident, which occurred on July 23, the guard shot and killed an assailant, 17, who had entered a residential building in Amman used by the embassy to install furniture and stabbed the Israeli guard with a screwdriver. The building’s owner, who according to Ynet tackled the assailant and attempted to prevent the attack, was killed after being hit by a stray bullet.
Following the incident, Israel refused to hand over the guard for questioning by Jordanian authorities, citing diplomatic immunity. The embassy staff was allowed to leave Amman for Israel nearly two days later amid demonstrations and calls for the death penalty for the security guard.
On Thursday, Jordan’s attorney general, Akram Masaadeh, charged the guard in absentia with two counts of murder and for bearing an unlicensed weapon.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II reacted angrily after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Moyal back in a personal meeting during which he praised the guard, saying “You acted well, calmly and we also had an obligation to get you out.”
Abdullah has said he will not allow the Israeli Embassy staff back in Jordan unless there is an investigation and a trial for Moyal. Israel announced Friday that it had launched an investigation, which is being overseen by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan.
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