Two Bat Yam residents charged in Japanika grenade attack linked to gang dispute

Police announced Monday they concluded an investigation into a fragmentation grenade thrown at a Japanika restaurant in Kiryat Ono last month. Two Bat Yam residents, aged 18 and 22, were arrested and charged. The attack, occurring around 2:00 a.m. on July 13, is linked to a dispute between the Jarushi and Mosli crime organizations, which also damaged eight other branches that day.

Police announced on Monday that they have concluded an investigation into a fragmentation grenade thrown at a Japanika restaurant branch in Kiryat Ono last month. An 18-year-old resident of Bat Yam was arrested about two days after the incident, and later that week police apprehended a second suspect, a 22-year-old also from Bat Yam. Searches at their homes yielded evidence and clothing linking them to the incident. The suspects arrived at the scene around 2:00 a.m. on July 13 on a two-wheeled vehicle, threw the grenade toward the entrance, and fled. A prosecutor has filed charges against both. The incident is linked to a dispute between the Jarushi and Mosli crime organizations, which also damaged eight other Japanika branches that day. Most branches are operated as franchises by the Jarushi family under chain owner Barak Abramov, who is not currently a suspect.