Police chief calls urgent meeting after Ashkelon mob hit

Chief of Israel Police Yohanan Danino convened a status meeting Friday with the heads of various police and intelligence units, following the assassination Thursday of a senior member of the Domrani crime family in Ashkelon.

  

The purpose of the meeting, according to reports, was to assess the situation regarding the current war in organized crime hits and activities across the country. The police believe the assassination Wednesday will be met with a spate of revenge attacks, which may instigate a series of attempted killings and bombings among organized crime families.

On Thursday, a powerful car bomb shook buildings in thecoastal city of Ashkelon on Thursday afternoon, in what police describe as a criminal-related assassination attempt. Two men were seriously injured in the blast, and one later died of his wounds while hospitalized. The deceased was identified as Avi Bitton, an associate of the Domrani crime family, headed by Shalom Domrani.

The explosion struck a private vehicle while it was in motion at around 3 p.m., Thursday near the intersections of Zionism and Montifiore streets in central Ashkelon, close to a school. The two victims, both in their 40s, were severely burned and suffered internal injuries. They were evacuated to Barzilai Hospital, where Bitton later succumbed to his injuries while the other remained in critical condition.

  

The blast rattled the surrounding neighborhood. One witness told Ynet news he initially thought it was a suicide bombing or rocket attack and that “the buildings were shaking.”

Police said the investigation into the killing will be handled by the recently established Lahav 433 unit — the organized crime-fighting body also known as the ‘Israeli FBI.’ The unit was created by Danino earlier this year to deal specifically with organized crime activities, including several high-profile killings just this year.

In July, two people were killed after their car exploded when they were driving on Highway 5 near Petah Tikva in a suspected hit connected with the criminal underworld.

In February, there was a surge in attempted murders of leading figures in Israel’s organized crime scene, especially in Rishon Lezion. Two people were killed when a car exploded in Rishon Lezion in late February.

Two weeks earlier, a car exploded in southern Tel Aviv, injuring two people, in what police suspect was a criminal underworld attack. Two brothers were wounded, both of whom had criminal records.

In January, a car exploded next to a bus in central Tel Aviv in what was reported as an attempted mob hit. At least seven people were lightly injured in that blast. Reports indicated that the explosion was an assassination attempt on Nissim Alperon. Alperon, a member of a prominent crime family, escaped with only scratches.

“Israel Police treats these incidents with utmost gravity and invests great effort and resources in investigating them,” a police spokesperson told Maariv in July. “In addition, law enforcement units are operating to prevent them, and more than a few such attacks have been foiled.”

“It should be noted that serious crimes of this type demand deep and complex investigations, patience, and long-term investment. In Lahav 433, a unit has been established recently whose purpose is to deal with the use of explosives, with an emphasis on prevention,” said the source.