Scene of the shooting
Photo: Motti Kimchi
Crime boss Ben Cohen comes under fire in upscale Tel Aviv plaza
Gunmen on two mopeds open fire at a jeep that police believe belongs to crime boss Ben Cohen, who survived an assassination attempt two years ago; no one hurt in incident; 3 suspects arrested.
Gunmen on two mopeds opened fire at a jeep at the upscale Kikar HaMedina area in the heart of Tel Aviv on Sunday morning. No one was hurt and no damage was caused in the incident.
The police said the incident was criminal in nature, and three suspects have been arrested.
(Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Police believe the target was crime boss Ben Cohen, who survived an assassination attempt two years ago when a bomb that was planted in his car went off in Givatayim. He was seriously wounded and lost both of his legs.
Police forces found the jeep that came under fire at a parking garage in a nearby building after it had left the scene of the shooting.
A., who works in the area, said she "heard three shots. I was with a customer and I went outside. I saw people fleeing and running into houses."
Ben Cohen (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Cohen led the Ramat Amidar crime gang and was brought up with Amir Mulner, who later became a crime boss himself. He also has ties to the Alperon crime family.
He was arrested in 2009 by the Tel Aviv District's Central Unit on the suspicion he was involved in an incident in which grenades were thrown at a Subaru Retailer in the city. A police investigation found the grenade attack was part of an attempt to extort money from the owners.
