The Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office has recently filed indictments with the District Court against Netanel Abudi (22) and Nahorai Havaz (18) of Bat Yam, concerning the throwing of a grenade at a Japanika restaurant branch in Kiryat Ono. According to the prosecution's statement, as reported by ICE, the two are charged with conspiring to carry out criminal activity using weapons. As alleged in the indictment, filed by Adv. Tamar Teitelbaum, the defendants arrived at the restaurant late at night on electric bicycles, armed with a grenade. At the time, an employee was inside the restaurant, and other staff members were nearby. It is further alleged that the pair threw the grenade at the restaurant window multiple times until it exploded, causing heavy damage to the restaurant and surrounding businesses, after which they fled the scene. For these events, the prosecution charges the defendants with intentional aggravated assault, damage with explosive materials, and joint carrying and transport of a weapon. Additionally, Netanel Abudi is charged with obstruction of justice.
The prosecution has requested that the court remand both individuals until the end of proceedings, emphasizing the high level of danger they pose. The request states that their behavior during the investigation, including providing false information and remaining silent, intensifies the concerns, particularly as the motive for the offenses remains unclear. This is a further development in a broader case, as it was simultaneously reported that indictments were filed against two other suspects, aged 18 from Rehovot, for the arson of the chain's branch in Givatayim. According to the report, the police arrested the suspects at the end of July following searches of their homes, where clothing and findings linking them to the alleged crimes were seized.
The current case has garnered attention due to the criminal audacity and real risk to human life, as reflected in the prosecution's accounts of throwing a grenade into a building where an employee was present. The immediate legal implication for the defendants is facing serious charges in the realm of weapons purity and harm to person and property, for which the prosecution seeks their removal from the public space until a final decision is reached. This aspect underscores the strict position of the prosecution authorities regarding incidents defined as organized criminal activity directed against businesses.