Car belonging to Netanya property developer blown up in apparent warning message

Man lightly injured trying to open door, likely trying to free passengers from vehicle he didn’t know was empty; posters in coastal city called real estate businessman a ‘scammer’

By Michael Horovitz

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24 January 2023, 10:40 am

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Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel

Two cars go up in flames following an explosion in the coastal city of Netanya, January 23, 2023. (Courtesy)

A car belonging to a real estate developer exploded in the coastal city of Netanya on Monday night, causing a second car to go up in flames.

According to reports, it was believed the car was blown up in a warning message to the developer.

A man was lightly hurt in a secondary explosion when he attempted to open the doors of one of the cars, likely in an attempt to free any potentially trapped passengers while not knowing the vehicle was empty, according to Channel 12 news.

The man was taken to Laniado Hospital for treatment.

Fire and rescue services said there were no injuries in the initial explosion.

According to the report, signs were recently posted around Netanya warning people not to do business with the developer identified as the owner of the vehicle.

“The contractor is a scammer, steals projects, and does everything fraudulently. He is an unfaithful man, a liar, and a scammer, please protect yourselves from this fraudster,” one of the posters read.

Police said they were investigating whether the attack was meant as a threat to the well-known businessman.