The Tel Aviv District Police arrested a new suspect in his 20s from Bat Yam on Tuesday in connection with the July 13 grenade attack at a Japanika restaurant in Kiryat Ono. He is due before the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Wednesday for a detention-extension hearing. This is the second Bat Yam resident detained in the probe after an 18-year-old was arrested earlier. Police say the Kiryat Ono attack was part of a wider wave that included two grenade explosions, a pipe-bomb and an attempted arson targeting Japanika branches; authorities also detained alleged crime boss Yossi Musli in related investigations.
Tel Aviv Police Arrest Second Bat Yam Suspect in Japanika Grenade Attack
A view of a Japanika restaurant branch owned by businessman Barak Abramov that was damaged in a shooting in Herzliya, central Israel, July 14, 2026. (photo credit: Tal Gal/Flash90)
The Tel Aviv District Police Central Unit on Tuesday arrested an additional suspect in connection with the fragmentation-grenade attack on a Japanika restaurant branch in Kiryat Ono in the early hours of July 13.
The new suspect, a man in his 20s from Bat Yam, was taken for questioning by the Tel Aviv District Central Unit and is scheduled to appear before the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Wednesday for a detention-extension hearing.
This is the second Bat Yam resident detained in the probe: authorities previously arrested an 18-year-old from Bat Yam on suspicion of involvement in the same Kiryat Ono attack.
A view of a Japanika restaurant branch owned by businessman Barak Abramov that was damaged in a shooting in Herzliya, central Israel, July 14, 2026. (credit: Tal Gal/Flash90)
Police say the Kiryat Ono incident was part of a coordinated wave of assaults on branches of the Japanika restaurant chain on July 13. In a span of hours investigators recorded two grenade explosions, a pipe-bomb attack and an attempted arson; three of those incidents specifically targeted Japanika outlets. The chain is owned by businessman and Beitar Jerusalem owner Barak Abramov.
The day after the initial wave of attacks, police arrested alleged Musli crime family boss Yossi Musli in connection with a series of assaults directed at the Japanika chain. Investigators say brothers Yossi and Eli Musli have long been suspected of involvement in a string of violent crimes against rival figures.
Investigations are ongoing. The Tel Aviv District Central Unit continues to question suspects and gather evidence as prosecutors consider possible charges and further detentions.
Photo: A Japanika restaurant branch owned by Barak Abramov that was damaged in a shooting in Herzliya, central Israel, July 14, 2026. (Credit: Tal Gal/Flash90)
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