Former trial witness against mob gunned down in Netanya

A former witness against a criminal organization was gunned down in Netanya late Thursday, police said.

The victim, identified only as a male Netanya resident in his 50s, was shot dead as he sat in a restaurant on Weizmann Street. The suspected assassins fled the scene, according to eyewitnesses.

Medics from the Magen David Adom rescue service said he had sustained several bullet wounds to his upper torso. They attempted to resuscitate him, but were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene of the shooting.

The man had once provided trial testimony against a senior member of a crime organization in the south of the country, according to officials. He left his hometown of Beersheba for Netanya with his family after the trial.

Police could not confirm that the killing was connected to his past testimony. The man was known to still have contacts in criminal organizations, and his death may be linked to a new feud.