Yaakov Alperon murder Tel Aviv police are preparing for the possibility of revenge attacks

Yaakov Alperon, 54, had attended a Tel Aviv court, in support of his two sons who were facing extortion charges, just an hour before his car passed over a bomb that had been planted under a street corner in the northern part of the city.
The lifeless body of the mob boss, known as "Don Alperon", was left dangling from a car door blown open by the blast.The murder of Israel's most prominent gangster led to police fears that the assassination would provoke an all-out war between the country's organised crime factions.The most recognised and influential face among Israel's organised crime families, Alperon, a father of seven, was regarded as something of a celebrity.Such was the respect that some Israelis held for him that when he arrived at the Tel Aviv courthouse with his wife, Ahuva, in his rented Volkswagen, a taxi driver gave up his parking space outside in favour of Alperon.
The Alperon organisation runs many criminal businesses, from pitta distribution routes to bottle recycling scams and protection rackets. The family also has gambling interests centred in the coastal city of Herzliya.With husband and wife in court to show support for their sons, who were remanded for a further 10 days, Alperon's last words to his wife before they drove off in separate cars were: "Don't worry, Ahuva, In a few days they'll be released and it'll all be over."Prime suspects in the assassination are the heads of Israel's two other leading crime families, Amir Mulner and Moshe Ohana."Alperon's assassination, this may have been done by one of the families," a police source told the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. "It could be this was by a coalition of families, that is a few families worked together to get the assassination done."Alperon had survived a number of previous attempts on his life, including an attack in 2001 when assailants threw a grenade at his home.In 2003, he survived another car-bomb attack, and in 2004 police intercepted four Belarusians trying to kill him.Last year police also defused an explosive device found in the car of Alperon's son Elad.Tel Aviv police are preparing for the possibility of revenge attacks that may also use advanced technology."Today you can plant a bomb in Raanana (a Tel Aviv suburb) and detonate it while the operator is in Jerusalem, while the bomb, along with the victim, are on a Tel Aviv street," a police officer told the newspaper Maariv. "Now go and crack a case like that