The security guard killed in a terrorist shooting at the entrance to the West Bank village of Ariel on Friday night has been identified as 23-year-old Vyacheslav Golev.
Golev was a former student at Ariel University. He recently moved to live with his fiancée in the West Bank community. They were engaged just weeks before the attack.
He is survived by his parents and seven siblings living in Beit Shemesh and his fiancée, who was stationed as a security guard during the attack.
Golev used his body to protect her from hail of bullets, saving her life, according to the military.
His fiancée, Victoria Wingelman of the southern city of Ashkelon, was not injured in the attack.
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Beit Shemesh municipality said it was embracing Golev’s family. “The security guard showed extraordinary heroism and saved the life of the security guard who worked with him,” said Mayor Aliza Bloch.
An undated photo of Vyacheslav Golev, who was killed in a shooting near Ariel on April 29, and his fiancée Victoria Wingelman. (courtesy)
Ashkelon municipality said it would help Wingelman and her family after the attack.
Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Galam said Golev showed “heroic courage” in defending his fiancée.
An undated photo of Vyacheslav Golev, who was killed in a shooting near Ariel on April 29. (Courtesy)
The date and time of Golev’s funeral were not determined immediately.
After a 20-hour chase, counter-terrorism forces have arrested two Palestinians allegedly behind the deadly terrorist attack. The suspected gunmen were arrested on Saturday night in the nearby town of Karawat, Bani Hassan.
Footage of the attack on Friday night shows a blue Suzuki car approaching a security post, where an armed man from the passenger seat opened fire.
The assailant and the driver then went out and both fired at the security post before leaving.
Golev’s death was ascertained on the spot.
A resident of the nearby village of Benjamin told Ynet on Saturday that a week before the attack, he saw the terrorist’s vehicle speeding towards Ariel.
He said he was driving on Route 5 with his family when a blue Suzuki passed them in the parallel lane, going in the wrong direction.
He said his family picked up the license plate number and reported the incident to police, and learned it was the car used in the attack after seeing news of the shooting.
Broken window of a security post aimed at shooting at the entrance to Ariel, on the West Bank, on April 30, 2022 (Flash90)
The attack came as tensions between Israel and the Palestinians rose sharply in recent weeks amid repeated terrorist attacks in Israeli cities that killed 14 people.
The escalation came amid the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, often a period of high tensions in Israel and the West Bank.
The military has stepped up its activities in the West Bank in an attempt to quell growing violence. Subsequent raids sparked clashes that killed at least 26 Palestinians, many of them involved in the clashes, while others did not appear to be civilians involved.
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