Man killed in apparent car bombing in Zichron Yaakov

A man was killed in an apparent car bombing in the coastal town of Zichron Yaakov on Wednesday morning.

The vehicle was in a parking lot near a local council building in the town, police said.

Officers said there was one casualty in the blast, and that the man was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police said they were investigating the motive behind the attack and have opened a probe.

Eyewitness told the Walla news site that the driver had only just entered the lot and had not yet parked his vehicle.

“I heard a huge explosion and then I saw the vehicle collide with a pillar and come to a stop,” one unnamed witness said.

As well as the municipality, the lot was also adjacent to an apartment building and a park.

A local store owner said the driver had greeted him just seconds earlier.

“He drove past me in his vehicle and said hello through the window — half a minute later he arrived at the parking lot and had not yet had time to park before the explosion,” he said.

The suspected bombing came amid a spate of violence in Israel, largely connected to organized crime.