Rabat – A joint investigation by Moroccan and Israeli intelligence services has helped to finally identify the man behind the 2012 car bombing that killed one civilian and injured his brother in Ashkelon, a coastal Israeli city.
According to police reports by the Israeli media on April 29, the investigation has established that Lior Hadad, a 36-year-old Israeli national, masterminded the decade-old attack. .
Police reports indicate that Hadad had fled Morocco shortly following the attack and remained outside of Israel for all these past years.
The authorities filed an indictment against him in the court in Israel.
After a year-long joint investigation by Moroccan and Israeli authorities, the culprit was apprehended on April 22.
Hadad will face charges of murder and attempted murder.
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According to police reports, Hadad had planted the bomb as an act of revenge against two brothers for allegedly turning their backs on a criminal network.
To carry out the attack, Hadad used a half kilo of explosive bricks, electric explosives, a wireless operational system, and a stolen car, media reports say.
After luring the victims by proposing to them a business partnership that would consist in running a shop together, he convinced the two brothers to accept the free car as part of the new business arrangement.
Hadad used fake license plates on the car before installing the bomb on the bottom of the car. As the two rode the car, he manually set off the explosives and fled the scene.
However, one explosive device — the one where the injured victim was sitting — did not go off, thus allowing one of the two brothers to survive the explosion. For his part, Hadad fled to Morocco a day after the car bombing.
A police statement quoted by the Israeli press described the apprehension of Hadad ten years after his crime as proof of the diligence of the Israeli police.
“The reach of Israel Police is extensive, as can be seen from this arrest. It’s all a matter of time when it comes to bringing Israeli criminals to justice,” said the statement.
