A known associate of the Abergil crime family was killed when a car bomb
exploded underneath his vehicle in Hod Hasharon Thursday night, police cleared
for publication on Friday.
Police are examining if the hit on Yossi
Castro was part of an ongoing feud between underworld figures in the Sharon
region.
Castro was driving on Habanim Street in Hod Hasharon around 11
p.m. Thursday night when his car exploded and then burst into
flames.
Within minutes, little more than a smoldering heap of wreckage
was left of the vehicle.
Late Thursday night, police announced that the
investigation of the car bombing will be handled by the special Yachbal serious
international crimes unit. By Friday morning, police had secured a court order
banning publication of any further details on the case, but cleared Castro’s
name for publication.
Car bombs have been a popular weapon for Israeli
mobsters looking to settle scores with rivals, and there are a number of
well-known Israeli crime figures who live in the Sharon region, including in Hod
Hasharon.
Three months ago, Nissim Alperon escaped unscathed after a bomb
blew up underneath his SUV, the eighth time he survived an attempt on his life.
Nissim’s brother Ya’acov, then one of Israel’s top mobsters, was killed in
November 2008, when a remote-detonated bomb exploded underneath his vehicle on
Namir Street in north Tel Aviv.