Prosecutor's declarations were filed on Tuesday against two Rehovot residents who were arrested in connection to an arson attack targeting a Japanika branch in Givatayim.
On July 12, two masked men arrived at a Japanika branch on a two-wheeled vehicle. They poured a flammable substance in front of the restaurant, and set fire to it before fleeing the scene. The fire caused damage to the building and property inside the restaurant, but no one was injured.
The arson was part of a wave of attacks targeting Japanika branches in central Israel. Branches were targeted with grenades, pipe bombs, and attempted arson.
The attacks were investigated against the backdrop of the conflict between the Musli and Jarushi crime organizations, which has been linked to a series of violent incidents in recent months.
The investigation was conducted by the Tel Aviv District Central Unit. Using technological means, investigators were able to track down the perpetrators and identify them despite what police suspect was an attempt to conceal their tracks.
On July 27, the first suspect, an 18 year old resident of Rehovot, was arrested. Several days later, a second suspect, also an 18 year old resident of the city, was arrested. Searches of their homes uncovered evidence and items of clothing that investigators suspect link them to the arson.
The suspects' detention was extended several times, and on Tuesday, at the conclusion of the investigation, prosecutors' declarations were filed against them ahead of indictments on the offenses attributed to them.
The arrests in the Givatayim case follows charges being filed against suspects in another incident targeting a Japanika branch in Kiryat Ono, where a fragmentation grenade, believed to be stolen IDF equipment, was thrown at the restaurant.
A wave of organized crime between gangs
Israel Police arrested Musli crime family boss Yossi Musli on July 14 in connection with a series of attacks targeting the Japanika restaurant chain, according to Israeli media reports.
Nine branches of the food chain were damaged in one day as part of a dispute between the Jarushi and Musli crime organizations, a KAN News report said. Most of the affected branches were franchises operated by the Jarushi family.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Abramov, who is not a suspect in the case, is currently perceived as being affiliated with elements in the Jarushi family, and therefore the chain's branches have become targets of elements affiliated with the Musli organization.
The background to the conflict is, according to estimates, a dispute over tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.
Shlomi Gabai contributed to this report.