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| The burned vehicle |
Four men were arrested and will be charged with arson after they allegedly firebombed a vehicle belonging to the owner of the popular Gutnick wedding hall in Jerusalem, according to police reports in Israel.
The special investigations unit of the Jerusalem Police Department arrested the four Arab residents of East Jerusalem, after they were accused of torching two vehicles and threatened the owner of the Gutnick wedding hall, which is located in the Givat Shaul neighborhood, by phone.
The men attempted to silence their employer, who was supposed to testify in an income tax probe, after the employees were accused of tax evasion.
The four suspects were brought before the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court for a bail hearing where they were remanded into custody.
As we reported earlier, police are investigating violence and death threats against the owner of the popular Gutnick Hall in Jerusalem, Israel, Jerusalem Police said in a statement.
The latest incident occurred on Wednesday night, after the hall owner parked his car on Sorotzkin Street in Jerusalem.
People in the area awoke to the sound of an explosion, and were surprised to see that the car belonging to the hall owner was set on fire.
Firefighters who arrived at the scene found a Ford Mondeo on fire. The vehicle was totally burned and the vehicle parked next to it was slightly damaged.
Fire investigators who collected evidence from the scene determined that it was arson. The owner of the vehicle filed a police complaint, and police said that they are currently looking for suspects.
This was not the first vandalism incident to strike the family. On Monday, the victim’s son-in-law, who lives in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem, reported that his car was set on fire. Police believe that the two cases are related.
Two months ago, the son-in-law also received a death threat in the mail along with a bullet, according to police.
Police said that it is possible that recently fired employees of the Gutnick hall might be behind the death threats and the vandalism.