Police arrested two young suspects in Tel Aviv on suspicion of throwing a fragmentation grenade, as part of an investigation into a series of attacks on Japnika branches. The police are expected to request a remand extension; the motive is suspected to be a criminal feud targeting the chain's owner, according to i24NEWS.
Police arrested two young individuals in Tel Aviv this afternoon on suspicion of throwing a fragmentation grenade, the latest development in a wave of attacks on the Japnika Asian-fusion restaurant chain. According to i24NEWS, the suspects face a remand hearing; the attacks are linked to an ongoing criminal feud against the chain's owner, Barak Abramov. The arrest comes just minutes after police arrested two teenagers (aged 17 and 19) in Bnei Brak at 14:21 Jerusalem on suspicion of involvement in a separate grenade explosion in south Tel Aviv, as The Zioneer reported.
The thread began Monday evening (19:48 Jerusalem) when reports emerged of two fragmentation grenade explosions in south Tel Aviv — on Mahl Street and 4586 Street — leaving one person lightly wounded. Police confirmed a criminal motive and later that evening arrested two suspects in connection with the blast. By Tuesday afternoon, police had arrested two teenagers on a scooter in Bnei Brak, seizing a knife, and now the Tel Aviv arrests expand the investigation.
The attacks are part of a criminal feud targeting Japnika owner Barak Abramov, as The Zioneer reported at 13:05 Jerusalem Tuesday, citing a police source. Over the past 24 hours, Japnika branches in Afula, Netanya, and Herzliya were targeted by grenades or gunfire, with no casualties reported in any of the incidents.
It remains unclear whether the two Tel Aviv suspects are linked to the earlier Bnei Brak arrests or to the broader feud. The police are expected to request a remand extension; the specific charges and evidence against the suspects have not been disclosed.
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