Bent license plate leads to arrest of assassin en route to a kill

A search of the moped uncovered a crate containing half a kilogram of explosives connected to a fuse. Officers also found a remote-control detonator.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
vectrix scooter 88 224 (photo credit: Sam Ser)
vectrix scooter 88 224
(photo credit: Sam Ser)
An attempt to pull over a moped with a bent-in license plate in Tel Aviv last month led police to save the life of a local crime figure, after intercepting an assassin sent to end his life by planting a bomb. On June 25, officers' suspicions were aroused by a moped with a bent license plate traveling down the Ayalon freeway. The driver ignored efforts to get him to pull over, and attempted to evade the officers, sparking a chase that ended with his apprehension in Ramat Gan. A search of the moped uncovered a crate containing half a kilogram of explosives connected to a fuse. Officers also found a remote-control detonator. An interrogation of the would-be assassin found that he was sent to kill Avian Wahal, a Herzliya-based criminal who is considered a rising star in the local crime scene. Interrogators succeeded in getting the suspect to turn state's witness, leading him to confess that he had been sent by two Herzliya criminals to carry out the hit; Guy Shem-Tov and Rami Yosef - the latter set the record for goals in Israel's second division soccer league. His mission had been to take the explosives to Herzliya and hide them in a safe place until an opportune moment arose to plant the bomb in Wahal's vehicle. Police say the crime bosses offered $100,000 for the hit, and issued a sort of "tender" for hit men to compete for the job. Shem-Tov and Yosef were arrested on Thursday for conspiracy to commit murder. Police say Shem-Tov was keen to "take out" Wahal due to an ongoing dispute involving the ongoing defection of members of Shem-Tov's gang to Wahal's organization.