Two teenagers indicted over arson attack against Givatayim Japanika restaurant

The State Attorney's Office has indicted Hanan Yaakov and Osher Bayech, both 18 and from Rehovot, for allegedly setting fire to a Japanika restaurant in Givatayim approximately one month ago. The indictment details that the two obtained an electric scooter, flammable material, and equipment to ignite a fire before proceeding to the restaurant's vicinity.

According to the charges, Yaakov poured flammable material and set it ablaze while a restaurant employee was still inside. The prosecution has requested that both defendants be held in custody pending the conclusion of their legal proceedings. This case follows closely on the heels of another indictment filed Thursday against two men from Bat Yam.

These two were charged with repeatedly throwing a fragmentation grenade at a Japanika restaurant in Kiryat Ono until it exploded, also with an employee present. The July 13 attack is part of a broader pattern of grenade, gunfire, and arson incidents targeting branches of the restaurant chain. Police are investigating these attacks against the backdrop of an alleged organized crime dispute.