The State Attorney's Office has filed two indictments at the Be'er Sheva District Court against Matan Arbib, Evyatar Zerah Yacobi, and Nitai Lagami for their involvement in an attempt to murder a well-known criminal from the southern region. According to a report by Walla, the case was investigated by the Lachish Central Unit, with the background rooted in ongoing criminal conflicts between gangs and organizations in the south.
According to the indictments filed by attorney Alex Dranboym, the defendants conspired to kill the target by attaching an explosive device to his vehicle and detonating it remotely. As part of their preparations, the suspects equipped themselves with tracking devices, motorcycles, and an explosive, monitoring the movements of the criminal and his associates via a mobile phone application.
At the beginning of July, according to the indictment, the defendants arrived in Ashdod and attached the explosive to the vehicle used by the complainant. While the vehicle was driving through city streets, the device fell onto the road without the driver noticing. Two minutes later, the device was detonated remotely, causing a powerful explosion that left a crater in the road, damaged buildings and parked vehicles, and caused hearing injuries among local residents.
Following the incident, it is alleged that the defendants attempted to hide items used to commit the offense in a pit near the home of one of the defendants to obstruct the investigation. One of the defendants, Matan Arbib, was previously arrested in Thailand following an Interpol warrant issued at the request of the Israel Police.
In the applications for detention until the end of proceedings filed with the court, the prosecution noted that the defendants' actions posed a concrete risk to public safety, as the device exploded in the heart of a residential street. The indictments charge the defendants with serious offenses, including attempted murder, carrying and transporting weapons, obstruction of justice, and damage by explosive material. It should be noted that these are allegations detailed in the indictments that have yet to be adjudicated in court.