Israeli judge shot dead by motorcycle assassin assassinated in drive-by shooting

The first judge ever to have been assassinated in Israel was shot dead at point-blank range outside his home last night by a gunman on a motorcycle who then escaped.

The first judge ever to have been assassinated in Israel was shot dead at point-blank range outside his home last night by a gunman on a motorcycle who then escaped.

Judge Adi Azar, a 49-year-old Tel Aviv District Court judge, was killed in the quiet Ramat Hasharon suburb of the city. Witnesses said Judge Azar's murderer was dressed as a security guard and that they had not heard the two shots to his chest and head which killed him. Although the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - the militant organisation linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah - claimed responsibility for the killing, Tommy Lapid, the Justice Minister, said: "There is no suspicion that this is an act of terror."

Mr Lapid added: "I am shocked to the depths of my soul. This is the first murder of a judge in the history of the country, and this must give us food for thought about where Israel's society is headed."

The police, however, appeared open minded about the motive for the killing, not excluding the possibility that it had been criminal, personal or nationalistic. There were no immediate reports of any threats on the victim's life.

Judge Azar tried civil rather than criminal cases. One recent case tried by him was said to have involved funds scheduled for transfer to the Palestinian Authority, which commentators suggested could be connected to his murder.