Two charged with murder in Acre gas explosion

Two men were charged with murder Sunday after having set off a massive gas explosion in a residential building, killing five people and injuring 11 when the building collapsed.

Mohammed Jarhi, 27 and Omar Halwani, 18, were accused of blowing up the building in the old city of Acre during an attempt to destroy a cellphone antenna on its roof in mid-February.

The prosecution asked that the men be remanded in custody until trial.

Police officials announced last month that the Acre gas explosion was a deliberate act of sabotage and that they had arrested four men.

The revelation came at the end of a three-week investigation into the incident, during which evidence reinforced early suspicions that there was criminal intent behind the blast in the northern coastal town.

Police believed suspects opened a gas canister in the building and placed incendiary material next to it, causing the explosion. Police also said at the time that two of the four suspects arrested had been injured in the gas explosion.

Neighbors and relatives of the victims claimed the blast was criminally motivated, saying it was carried out as part of an ongoing quarrel.

Residents reported a longstanding dispute between the building’s landlord and tenants over the placement of cellular antennas on its top floor, fearing they were the source of a string of health issues. Elsewhere in Israel violent protests have been held in the past to oppose their placement.

The brother of one of the victims was threatened after publicly claiming that the explosion was a criminal act. Police Commander Eli Asayag told Maariv last month that Khaled Bader received numerous threats telling him to leave the old city of Acre within three days because he “informed” to police.

The explosion that caused the collapse occurred around 2 a.m. on Monday, February 17. The victims were Muhammad and Hanan Bader, and Ra’ek and Najah Sarhan and their son Hamed.