16-year old held as suspect in Ramat Gan underworld bombing
Explosion, which caused significant damage to residential building but no injuries, seen as part of turf war between rival criminals
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A 16-year old boy from Rishon Lezion is being held by police on suspicion that he placed a bomb at a residential building in Ramat Gan, which exploded in the early hours of July 6, causing significant damage.
The bomb was apparently intended to intimidate an associate of crime boss Ben Cohen, who resided in the building at the time, Channel 12 reported Wednesday.
No one was injured in the blast.
The youth, who was questioned by police and shown the evidence against him, is being represented by the attorneys Ness Ben Natan and Sapir Weinberg, who denied the suspicions against their client. Police on Tuesday requested, and were granted by the court, another four days of custody to complete their investigation.
The unnamed youth is suspected of placing the pipe bomb in the middle of the night at the building on Bar KochBa Street and activating it. The device caused damage to the building’s door and a nearby parked vehicle.
Police detectives collected evidence from the crime scene, including CCTV footage, allegedly of the suspect placing the bomb and activating it, as well as his fingerprints on the device. Police also apparently found evidence of the minor’s DNA on the bomb.
A similar device was found five months ago under a vehicle belonging to an old woman residing in the same building. Police suspect it was placed there by mistake and was actually intended for the same associate of Cohen. Police managed to defuse the bomb but were unable to uncover who placed the device.
Police believe the latest bombing is part of a continuing turf war between Cohen and crime boss Eran Haya, who resides in Dubai and Cyprus.
The Times of Israel Community.