Small bomb explodes under singer’s car; no injuries

A small bomb exploded Tuesday under a car belonging to Israeli singer Margalit Tsan’ani, causing no injuries.

Police said the incident was criminal in nature.

Tsan’ani was not in the vehicle at the time of the blast. The car was lightly damaged.

The singer, who has a past conviction for extortion, had left the vehicle in a parking lot in the industrial area of the central town of Azor at around 3:00 p.m., Channel 2 reported. Minutes later, the bomb went off.

Police and sappers streamed to the area to investigate the explosion.

Although Tsan’ani told reporters she believed the explosion was a technical fault, police said an improvised explosive device was placed under the car.

According to the television station, police believe the remotely-detonated bomb was deliberately set off after Tsan’ani had left the vehicle and sources suggested it was intended to “send her a clear message.”

Speaking to reporters who gathered at the scene shortly after the explosion, Tsan’ani insisted “it was a technical fault.”

“I don’t believe anyone would try and hurt me,” she said.

“I went out to have something to eat and suddenly I heard a boom,” she said. “I was sure that it was a tire that exploded on the main road, but then I understood that the explosion was in my car. The hood was raised. In my opinion, the cause of the explosion was technical.”

In 2011, Tsan’ani was convicted of extorting her manager Asaf Atadagi, but she served no jail time under a plea deal, completing six months of community service instead. Tsan’ani was embroiled in a financial dispute with Atadagi over a few hundred thousand shekels and tried to extort the money from him using contacts in the criminal underworld.

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