Man seriously hurt in suspected underworld car bombing in Rishon Lezion

30-year-old taken to hospital with burns all over his body after explosion in central city

A man was seriously wounded Monday by an apparent car bomb in the central city of Rishon Lezion.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said paramedics were called to the scene after receiving reports of a burning car, in which they found the 30-year-old.

The man, who MDA said was suffering from burns all over his body, was taken to Sheba Medical Center in nearby Ramat Gan.

Police launched an investigation into the explosion, which the force said appeared to be criminal and not terror-related. A police sapper was called to the scene.

Video from Rishon Lezion showed firefighters dousing a burning car in the middle of a street.

“I heard a tremendous explosion. The entire house shook,” a local resident told the Kan public broadcaster, which reported the blast shattered the glass at a bus stop some 100 meters away.

The explosion was described by Hebrew media as a suspected gangland assassination attempt, following several similar car bombings in recent months.