Court Extends Suspect’s Remand in Leah Cohen Ayalon Bombing Murder

A magistrate’s court in Rehovot on Wednesday extended by six more days the remand of Chen Cohen, the suspect in the killing of his ex-wife, Leah Malka Cohen, in a car bomb blast on Ayalon Highway. Judge Maimon said the case involved a “shocking murder” and the “cruel death” of the victim, who was “burned alive,” and ruled there was no choice but to keep the suspect jailed until June 23.

Police told the court that Cohen is refusing to provide the code to unlock his mobile phone, which investigators say is an intentional attempt to “thwart the investigation.” His lawyers, Rais Abu Seif and Amir Kimchi, said he denies the allegations, argued that police are repeating the same questions without real progress, and asked that he be released under restrictive conditions.

According to the investigation, Leah Malka Cohen was under surveillance by a hit squad from the morning of June 4, 2026. When she reached Ayalon Highway, the explosive device was detonated. Police said the bomb contained about half a kilogram of explosives.

MDA paramedics Neria Hagbi and Orel Toledano, who arrived minutes after the blast, described finding a car on fire and a person nearby with no pulse or breathing and severe burns, saying they were forced to pronounce death at the scene. Cohen, a former police officer whose mother also served in the police for many years, was killed in a powerful explosion near the Holon interchange shortly after dropping her daughter off at kindergarten. Her family says she had previously complained about threats from her estranged husband, but that the steps taken were not enough to protect her. The investigation continues, with a focus on intelligence and complex technological evidence.