Three indicted in attempted Tel Aviv supermarket bombing
Trio held for building explosive device, placing it in a Tiv Ta'am branch in March
Three men were indicted Sunday in connection with an attempted bombing at a supermarket in downtown Tel Aviv in March.
According to the indictment, submitted to the Tel Aviv District Court by prosecutor Shiri Perl, Eliran Vaknin, 27, Efi Djerbi, 28, and a third suspect whose name the court ordered withheld are being charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, attempting to cause harm with an explosive device, weapons production, and other crimes.
The indictment did not indicate a motive for the attempted bombing.
The indictment states that in January and February 2013, the suspect whose name is withheld procured 133 grams of explosives, detonators, and electric wire for NIS 2000 from an unknown party, and kept them in his home. In early March, Vaknin and Djerbi contacted the third suspect, and purchased the components for NIS 6,000.
On March 5, the three men met and prepared the device at Djerbi’s home in Kfar Yona, equipping it with a remote electric detonator.
A week later, Vaknin and Djerbi placed the bomb at a branch of the Tiv Ta’am supermarket on Ibn Gvirol street in Tel Aviv. A fire broke out that same day at 3 a.m., and several days later, the device was discovered and neutralized.
Employees noticed a suspicious object near the back of the store and alerted authorities. Police sappers neutralized the explosive device.
The same branch has been targeted several times in recent months, including three arson attacks.
Adi Cohen, the CEO of Tiv Ta’am, told Ynet, “I am amazed. I hope the police will investigate vigorously this time.”
The attack occurred while the branch was undergoing renovations to repair the damage from one of the previous attacks. Nevertheless, Cohen refused to allow anything to derail his plans to re-open his store.
“We still have an employee hospitalized from the previous incident,” he said. “But I am telling you we will reopen the branch, renovated and stronger.”
Tiv Ta’am has 32 branches across Israel and is the country’s largest chain to sell nonkosher meat products.
The prosecution is asking that the suspects be held until legal proceedings conclude.
Asher Zeiger contributed to this report.