JERUSALEM, Jan. 7 (JTA) — The Israeli soldier who opened fire last week on Palestinians in a Hebron market has re-enacted the incident for investigators. Under heavy security early Tuesday morning, Noam Friedman, 22, demonstrated how he opened fire Jan. 1, wounding seven Palestinians before he was wrestled to the ground by an Israeli officer. A religious Jew, Friedman has said he carried out the attack in an effort to thwart a planned Israeli redeployment in the volatile West Bank town. Off-duty at the time of the attack, he had not been posted to serve in Hebron. Reports that Friedman had suffered from psychological problems in the years before his compulsory army service have provoked questions about why he was drafted and issued a weapon. On Tuesday, he explained to investigators that when he first entered the market area, a mechanical problem prevented his army-issued M-16 from firing. Friedman said he then walked to the Beit Romano complex of the Jewish quarter and fixed the problem before returning to the market and opening fire.
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