Police Chase Leads to Arrest After Grenade Explosion in South Tel Aviv Parking Lot

A powerful explosion from a grenade shattered the calm in South Tel Aviv around 2:30 a.m., causing significant damage to several vehicles in an open parking lot on Anatbi Street. The blast was loud enough to be heard in nearby neighborhoods, and shrapnel from the grenade damaged cars and nearby structures. Police forces from the Sar-T police station, Border Police fighters, and bomb disposal experts quickly secured the scene, collecting evidence and taking witness statements.

Following the explosion, police launched an extensive manhunt using technological tools and eyewitness descriptions to track the suspects. The pursuit rapidly extended beyond Tel Aviv city limits into the neighboring ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak. Officers stationed at key points in Bnei Brak spotted two young men on a scooter matching the suspects’ description, arousing suspicion.

The police stopped the scooter and arrested the two suspects, aged 17 and 19, residents of the Gush Dan area. A thorough search of their vehicle uncovered a concealed knife. The suspects were handcuffed and taken under heavy guard to the Sar-T police station in Tel Aviv for further investigation. Authorities plan to present them to a judge to request an extension of their detention to continue the inquiry.

The Israeli police emphasized that the use of explosive weapons like grenades in densely populated urban areas represents a serious escalation in street crime, posing a direct threat to innocent civilians. The swift cooperation between police stations and the determination to continue the search beyond municipal boundaries were key to the rapid arrest of the suspects shortly after the blast.