A magistrate’s court in the southern city of Ashkelon ordered Wednesday the release of mob boss Shalom Domrani to one week of house arrest, hours after his arrest on suspicion of involvement in a grenade attack on a residential property.
Police requested a delay in implementing the ruling to consider an appeal, and Domrani will remain in custody until Thursday morning.
Domrani was detained earlier in the day on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime, making threats and placing an explosive device, after a fragmentation grenade was thrown overnight into the yard of a home in Ashkelon. No one was injured, though property damage was reported.
Judge Yaniv Ben Harosh ruled that the level of reasonable suspicion was insufficient to justify keeping Domrani in custody. “After reviewing the case file and hearing the parties’ arguments, I found that the strength of the reasonable suspicion does not allow for the respondent’s continued detention behind bars,” the judge wrote, adding that the evidence did not establish a sufficient factual basis linking Domrani to the incident.
Domrani’s attorney, Sharon Vaknin, welcomed the decision, saying the court had “clearly and explicitly determined that there is no reasonable suspicion.” He criticized the arrest, arguing that a person’s reputation alone cannot justify detention without solid evidence.
According to police, the investigation centers on a man identified as Hertzel, described as an associate of Domrani, who allegedly lost a civil lawsuit and owed money to the plaintiff. Investigators suspect the grenade was thrown at the home of the man who won the case. Police said Hertzel spoke with Domrani by phone shortly before the attack and later boasted to another person about the connection.
During the court hearing, a police representative said investigative materials tied Domrani to the incident. Domrani denied involvement, telling the judge that he had contacted Hertzel regarding the purchase of household items for a lone soldier and ended the call shortly afterward. He said Hertzel later showed others a screenshot from the call and falsely implied a closer relationship.
A second suspect was also arrested in connection with the grenade attack. Police said officers and bomb disposal units responded overnight to the scene after receiving reports of the incident and began collecting evidence, describing the motive as criminal.
Domrani is considered a major figure in organized crime and has been a longtime target of law enforcement. In 1996, he was sentenced to five years in prison after a drug trafficker testified he had acted on Domrani’s behalf. While incarcerated, Domrani was also convicted of attempted extortion and received an additional 30-month sentence.
Following his release in 2002, police have linked Domrani to a range of criminal activities, including illegal sand mining, stolen vehicle trafficking involving contacts in the Gaza Strip, gambling operations and the takeover of businesses in the Ashkelon area. He has also been associated with online gambling ventures alongside other prominent crime families, rivalries that have fueled violent disputes over the years.