Police: Acre man places bomb on car in Nahariya, flees on electric bike

Authorities say attempted attack was linked to business dispute involving owner of the car, who works at shopping center where incident took place.

Police car370 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Police car370
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
An Acre man was arrested by Coastal District police on Thursday after he allegedly placed a bomb on a vehicle at a Nahariya shopping center.
Witnesses at the center told police they saw the man affix an object to the car and then flee the scene on an electric bicycle. They then gave chase and caught the man, holding the 25-year-old suspect until police could arrive.
By Thursday afternoon police said the package was in fact a real explosive device that was meant to harm the owner of the car. They said that they believe the background to the attempted attack is a business dispute involving the owner of the car, who himself works in the shopping center. They added that they have not been able to determine the connection between the suspected target and the man who placed the bomb, and that the man on the electric bicycle is not “known to police” or an investigative target.
Police said Thursday evening the Acre man will be brought to court on Friday morning, where they will seek an extension of his remand while they work to piece together who ordered the bomb placed on the vehicle. 
Also on Thursday, not far from Nahariya, a bomb exploded inside a car in Kiryat Yam. The car was parked on Hahashmonaim street in the city when it exploded midday. No one was injured in the explosion, though the vehicle was totaled. Police have opened an investigation.