The late Shai Ohayon, who was killed in a stabbing attack in Petah Tikva, Israel, Aug. 26, 2020.

The stabbing that killed a rabbi in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva last week was a terrorist attack, the Shin Bet internal security agency confirmed on Monday.

The Israeli news site Walla reported that the Shin Bet had ascertained that Rabbi Shai Ohayon, 39, was walking on a sidewalk at Segula Junction when the assailant, Khalil Abd al-Khaliq Dweikat, stabbed him several times with a large knife.

Ohayon was fatally wounded and Dweikat quickly arrested by police near the scene.

Dweikat, 46, confessed to the crime under interrogation by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police, and admitted that he committed the crime out of nationalist motives.

The investigation also found that Dweikat, who is from the West Bank village of Rujeeb, near Nablus, possessed a permit that allowed him to work in Israel and return to the West Bank on a daily basis.

However, Dweikat had violated the terms of the permit by staying in Israel for several days before committing his attack.

Khalil’s brother Khaled, who claimed his brother was framed by the Shin Bet, stated that Khalil was married and the father of six daughters, with the youngest being nine months old.

Ohayon was described by his father-in-law as a “good father to his children and a good husband to his wife.”

“He was like a son to me,” Ohayon’s father-in-law added. “He taught Torah lessons.”

Ohayon’s wife was said to be “in shock” over his death.

“It’s inconceivable,” his father-in-law said. “It’s a great loss.”