2 crime bosses suspected of murdering state witness
Yaniv Zaguri and Michael Mor set to be indicted for orchestrating murder of state witness Tal Korkus who led to Zaguri spending seven years in prison; they will also be indicted for murder of another witness who testified against an associate of Zaguri.
The head of a crime organization based in south Israel, Yaniv Zaguri, and the head of a crime organization based in north Israel, Michael Mor, are being held on suspicion of murdering a state witness and are set to be indicted tomorrow, it was approved for publication Sunday.
Zaguri was arrested in China on suspicion of promoting a plan to assassinate Tal Korkus, who became a state witness to testify against Zaguri in 2007 and was assassinated in Ashkelon with an explosive device in June, 2017.
Korkus' ex-wife, Dvora, was shot dead in full view of her children at a swimming pool in Be'er Sheva just 15 months prior. Her murder has yet to be solved.
Zaguri is also suspected of ordering the murder of Elisha Sabah, who served as a witness for the prosecution against Adam Itel, a member of his organization.
Michael Mor, who is also suspected of orchestrating Korkus' murder, allegedly supplied the explosive charge that was used in his assassination.
Eight suspects have already been detained on accusations of direct involvement in Korkus' death. Three others have already signed state witness deals with the police and are expected to testify against the crime bosses.
On the night of the Korkus' assassination, which Zaguri allegedly initiated, two women rented an apartment in Ashkelon, using it as a makeshift casino, and invited Korkus' to a poker game—which turned out to be a liquidation.
While Korkus sat and played cards, according to the police, a criminal in Zaguri's organization named Erik Itel, brother of Adam Itel, put the explosive charge in a Korkus' car.
Eric Ettel has also been accused of murdering Sabah after he testified against his brother.
Another suspect in the case is Motti Almakayes, a relative of Tal Korkus, who was accused of failing to prevent a crime because he knew of the assassination plan.
Zaguri has lived in China for the past year, immigrating there after serving seven years in prison for a series of serious offenses, including extortion by threats and arson. He was convicted due to Korkus' testimony.
Chinese authorities decided in November to extradite Zaguri over to Israeli authorities, despite the lack of an extradition treaty between the two countries.
Following China's decision, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan sent a letter to his Chinese counterpart thanking him for the help of the Chinese police. The ministry is now considering appointing a permanent police representative in China.
