Cabbie killed in Tel Aviv named; gag order on murder remains
Body of Amin Shaaban, 42, was found in north part of the city about an hour after Arab gunman killed 2 on Dizengoff Street
A taxi driver killed in Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon was named Saturday as 42-year-old Amin Shaaban, but a court-ordered ban on the details of the investigation into his murder remained in place.
Shaaban was shot dead shortly after an Arab Israeli gunman opened fire on a busy Tel Aviv street, killing two people. Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court imposed the gag order on his murder on Friday evening, along with certain details of the investigation into the shooting attack on Dizengoff Street.
Police are still trying to ascertain whether there is a connection between the two shootings, the Ynet news website said Saturday.
The taxi driver, from Lod, was shot and critically wounded on Yunitsman Street on the northern outskirts of Tel Aviv. He had three wives and 11 children, his family said on Saturday.
Shaaban’s brother Raazi told Channel 2 news that Amin “was very well known in the city and never had any trouble with anyone.”
Shaaban’s body was found on open ground close to a local hotel. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His family said that they had not been given any information about his fate by the police.
“He was devoted to his work and only wanted to make a decent living,” the family told Ynet. “His brothers went to the police in Lod yesterday, where they were told only that the Tel Aviv police criminal investigations unit was dealing with the case. We found out that he had been murdered from the media.”
Shaaban’s murder took place about an hour after the gunman in the Dizengoff Street shooting opened fire on a bar in the busy shopping area, killing 26-year-old bar manager Alon Bakal and 30-year-old Shimon Ruimi. The gunman fled the scene, and a massive manhunt for him continued on Saturday.