The man accused of going on a three-state stabbing spree in the United States was also a suspect in a stabbing near his hometown in Israel.
But what drove Elias Abuelazam remains a mystery: relatives describe a shy man from a respected family who had recently become despondent. Profilers say the case is baffling because, despite five deaths, murder did not appear to be the goal.
Abuelazam is suspected of attacking people in Michigan, Ohio and Virginia, leaving 13 people wounded in addition to the dead. He was arrested in Atlanta as he prepared to board a flight to his native Israel, where relatives said he lived until his family sent him to the US when he was 18.
The 33-year-old man appeared briefly in an Atlanta courtroom and agreed to return to Michigan to face an attempted murder charge in one of the attacks – a July 27 stabbing in Flint that put the victim in hospital for a week.
Authorities said more charges were expected in the three states. A family member in the poor community of Ramle in central Israel said Abuelazam had become unhappy about his personal life in recent months.
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