 During a court hearing on 24 March, his attorney said he feared the assailant had an explosive vest hidden under his shirt.IDF officials rejected this, saying the assailants had already been checked for explosives, and he did not follow the procedures for such concerns before opening fire.During the investigation, he also claimed that the assailant tried to reach for a knife that was 'within reach' of him, while the documentation in the video showed the knife was a significant distance away from the assailant, who was critically injured.