"Like everyone who saw the Euro last night, we also went to bed late. Then suddenly, I heard booms - one after the other. It sounded like gunshots to me, and I got anxious and woke my husband," said Limor, a Rishon Lezion vacationer whose car was torched. "I felt that something was wrong, but we did not go out to check. This morning, when we went to the cars to go kayaking, we found them like that."
The case joins a series of recent cases as part of the phenomenon of collecting protection racket fees in the North, including the shooting at the Cafe Nimrod branch in the Agamon Hula shopping center last week.
Agricultural workers in the North, as well as business owners in other fields, suffer the phenomenon of extortion to pay protection racket fees. About two weeks ago, a branch of the BBB restaurant chain in Rosh Pina was threatened after bullets were placed at the entrance to the business. Police forces arrived at the scene following a complaint from the owners, about ammunition found near the front door and a window that cracked as a result of a blow.
Also, about two weeks ago, a more serious incident occurred when a massive shooting was carried out at the Highway 90 restaurant at the Mahnayim Junction. The shooting took place during the night between Saturday and Sunday after the restaurant had closed. A number of workers were still inside it at the time, but were not harmed by the shooting. The shots did puncture and shatter the restaurant's windows, however.