A 57-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy were seriously wounded in a vehicle explosion in Jerusalem's Armon Hanatziv neighborhood on Tuesday, in what police are investigating as a suspected attempted murder with a criminal background.
Israeli media has reported the identity of the target, a prominent figure in Jerusalem's criminal underworld, convicted mobster Itzik Bar-Mucha.
According to Walla, he had been linked over the years to several well-known criminal cases and had been regarded as a highly significant and senior figure in Jerusalem's underworld.
Police received a report of a vehicle explosion on Meir Feinstein Street at around 8:15 a.m., Israel Police said. Medical teams evacuated the two victims from the scene in serious condition.
Investigators from the Oz Police Station and Jerusalem District bomb disposal officers arrived shortly afterward and began collecting evidence.
Evidence gathered at the scene raised suspicions that the explosion was caused by an explosive device, police said.
Jerusalem District Commander Maj.-Gen. Avshalom Peled conducted a special situation assessment at the scene, during which investigators and a bomb disposal officer briefed him on the suspected criminal background to the incident and the circumstances of the explosion.
After the assessment, Peled ordered the investigation transferred to the Jerusalem District Central Unit and instructed police to allocate the necessary resources to gather evidence and identify the suspects.
He had been a central police target and was under regular surveillance by the Jerusalem District Police, Central District Police, and Lahav 433, according to Walla.
Several years ago, Bar-Mucha was released from prison after serving a sentence for involvement in attempts to assassinate rivals, the report said. He later moved to central Israel, where he was suspected of becoming involved in a conflict with local criminal organizations.
More recently, he returned to live in Jerusalem, Walla reported.
Magen David Adom emergency medic Haki Har Kesef said medical teams arrived to find a vehicle on fire and debris scattered around it.
"Nearby were a man about 50 years old and a boy about 13 years old. They were conscious and suffering from burns and injuries to their bodies," Har Kesef said. "We provided them with medical treatment and evacuated them in MDA intensive care ambulances to the hospital while continuing medical treatment."
People of Israel director general and headquarters manager first to respond to scene
Avi Rahamim, Director-General of the People of Israel party, and Ari Kolker, one of the party's field headquarters managers, were among the first people to arrive at the scene and assist the wounded, according to a statement from the party.
Rahamim, a reserve colonel, lives near the site of the explosion and left his home after hearing the blast, the party said. Kolker, a reserve sergeant major, was passing nearby on his way to a workout at a local gym.
The party said both men had served hundreds of days of reserve duty over the past three years and had fought in multiple sectors in northern and southern Israel.
"This is the spirit of the People of Israel party. To assist wherever possible and mobilize for the State of Israel," the party said.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing.