Another grenade was thrown at a Japanika restaurant overnight Wednesday, even after police arrested alleged crime boss Yossi Mosli and three other suspects over a nationwide wave of attacks against the sushi chain.
The latest explosion struck the Japanika branch in Rosh Pina, where at least one window was shattered. No injuries were reported.
A fragmentation grenade was thrown at a Japanika branch in Rosh Pina
(Video: Avihu Shapira)
Mosli and the three other suspects were brought before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where police were expected to request that their detention be extended by eight days.
A police representative told the court that investigators were preparing for possible reprisals across the country.
“We are bracing for attacks nationwide, and everyone is connected,” the representative said.
A grenade thrown at a Japanika branch in Afula sparked a fire
Police are investigating whether the attacks are part of an escalating dispute between the Mosli and Jarushi crime families.
At least 13 criminal attacks have been reported within several days, including fragmentation grenades thrown at businesses and residential buildings, arson attempts and gunfire.
Japanika branches in Ramat Gan, Kiryat Ono, Afula and Netanya were targeted with grenades. Shots were fired at the chain’s Herzliya branch, while an attempt was made to set fire to its restaurant in Givatayim.
Bullet holes in the windows of a Japanika branch in Herzliya
(Video: Roi Rubinstein)
The attacks continued even after the four suspects were detained, with the latest grenade damaging the Rosh Pina branch overnight.
Police suspect businessman Barak Abramov, who owns Japanika and the Beitar Jerusalem soccer club, became caught in the conflict after previously being close to the Mosli brothers and later developing ties with members of the Jarushi family.
Investigators have taken testimony from Abramov and believe the attacks on Japanika branches may have been intended to send a message in the broader struggle between the criminal organizations.
Japanika is operated by Abramov’s Landora Group, which owns several other restaurant brands and runs dozens of branches across Israel.
A grenade thrown at a Japanika branch in Afula sparked a fire
(Video: Israel Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson’s office)
The company had been preparing for a possible stock market offering, but plans to move forward with the listing have reportedly been postponed following the attacks.
The Mosli family, which emerged from Tel Aviv’s Hatikva neighborhood and Kfar Shalem, is regarded by police as one of the most powerful crime organizations in Israel’s Jewish sector.
Police officials say its activities have included illegal gambling, gray-market lending and protection rackets. In recent years, members allegedly shifted some operations abroad and expanded into cryptocurrency and ostensibly legitimate businesses.
The previous wave began Monday night with grenade explosions at two locations in Tel Aviv, lightly wounding one person. Further attacks were reported in Herzliya, Ness Ziona, Afula, Netanya and Rishon LeZion.
Bomb disposal experts have collected grenade fragments and other evidence from the scenes, while investigators are reviewing surveillance footage in an effort to identify the attackers and those who ordered the violence.