Man badly hurt in Herzliya grenade blast; police link incident to organized crime
Explosion marks second time in four days, and third within a month, grenades have been set off in city
A man in his 40s was badly injured in a grenade explosion in Herzliya Sunday afternoon, the Israel Police and first responders said.
It was the second grenade explosion in the city’s affluent coastal neighborhood of Herzliya Pituah in the last four days, and the third in the past month.
Magen David Adom paramedics reported they found the wounded man conscious but suffering serious injuries to his upper body. He was taken to Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikvah.
Medics said that passersby attended to the man until medics arrived.
Police opened an investigation into the incident and ruled out a terror motive, saying it was related to organized crime.
Police detectives in the Tel Aviv District’s investigations and intelligence unit were tasked with continuing the investigation, following a situation assessment by regional and station commanders.
About an hour later, police announced they had opened an investigation into another grenade attack in the yard of a residence in Holon, south of Tel Aviv.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which police also suspected to have a criminal, rather than terror-related, motive.
On Wednesday, a grenade was tossed into the yard of Nicol Raidman, a wealthy socialite and close friend of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara, where it exploded but caused no injuries.
Raidman said in a statement that she did not think she was the intended target.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, the grenade landed in a swimming pool, which absorbed the blast at her Herzliya Pituah home. The seaside neighborhood is home to some of the wealthiest people in Israel, as well as a number of foreign ambassadors.
That attack came less than two weeks after a grenade was thrown into the yard of the home of the Norwegian ambassador to Israel, causing no injuries.
Also last month, state prosecutors said they would file indictments against four gang members suspected of targeting a Tel Aviv apartment building in two separate grenade attacks in March this year.
Israel has seen a recent wave of violent crime largely linked to battles between crime families.
The Times of Israel Community.