Police Arrest Five Suspects Following Retaliatory Shootings Near Tel Aviv
Prosecutors filed intent statements against five suspects, including two minors, following gang-related retaliatory shootings in Kiryat Ono and Ganei Tikva.
Prosecutors filed a statement of intent yesterday against five suspects, including two minors, following an investigation into two shooting incidents in Kiryat Ono and Ganei Tikva. According to the Israel Police, the incidents occurred within hours of each other against the backdrop of a conflict between two criminal gangs, with the second shooting carried out as retaliation for the first. The remand of the five suspects has been extended until Sunday, September 20, and the prosecution intends to file formal indictments against them.
The first incident took place on the night of July 18 on S.Y. Agnon Street in Kiryat Ono. According to findings by the Dan Subdistrict Crime Fighting Unit, several of the individuals involved met at the scene due to their ongoing dispute. At a certain point, one of them left, but returned shortly afterward armed with a handgun.
Police suspect that the 18-year-old from Ganei Tikva fired at two men riding a motorcycle. Neither man was injured, but the gunfire struck a nearby residential fence, causing damage. The suspects then fled the scene.
Several hours later, two suspects from the rival faction allegedly arrived on a motorcycle at a residential building in Ganei Tikva in an attempt to target the young suspect from the first shooting. The two opened fire at the building, shattering the entrance lobby glass before fleeing. No injuries were reported in this incident either.
Following the two shooting incidents, the Dan Subdistrict Crime Fighting Unit launched a covert investigation that lasted for about two months. In September, the investigation became overt, leading to the arrests of the suspects.
Arrested on suspicion of involvement in the Kiryat Ono shooting were the 18-year-old from Ganei Tikva and two 17-year-old minors from Kiryat Ono. Investigators suspect that the minors used a motorcycle without a driving license and subsequently helped dispose of the handgun.
<div>Simultaneously, two Bnei Brak residents, aged 27 and 19, were arrested on suspicion of carrying out the retaliatory shooting in Ganei Tikva. Police operations also resulted in the seizure of the motorcycle allegedly used to travel to and from the scene.
