Jerusalem car blast that hurt boy, 13, targeted crime figure Itzik Bar Moha

Update, 6 October, 10:07 Israel time

Israeli media have now named the man wounded in the Armon Hanatziv car blast. Ynet's alerts channel identified the target of what it called the attempted hit in Jerusalem as Itzik Bar Moha, describing him as a criminal.

N12, in a post by its reporter Yulan Cohen, also named him as Itzik Bar Moha and said he is one of the leaders of a group it called "the Jerusalem gang". N12 added that he was attacked while he was driving his son to school, which is consistent with earlier reports that the 13-year-old boy hurt in the explosion is his son.

Both outlets present the identification as their own reporting. Neither post attributes the name to the police, and police have not been quoted confirming who the wounded man is or commenting on any gang affiliation. The son has still not been named, and the new reports give no update on the condition of either casualty, no suspects and no arrests.

The story as first reported

A man of about 50 and a 13-year-old boy were wounded on Tuesday morning when a car exploded on Meir Feinstein Street in the Armon Hanatziv neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Magen David Adom said its medics took the man to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in serious condition with injuries to his lower limbs, and the boy in moderate condition with multi-system trauma. The emergency service said its first call about the incident reached its 101 dispatch line at 08:17.

Police described the background as criminal rather than terror-related. Ynet reported that the injured man is a known criminal and that the boy is his son, and described the blast as an explosive device planted in the vehicle. N12 also identified the two as a known criminal and his 13-year-old son.

What the emergency services reported

Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national ambulance and emergency medical service, issued its first statement shortly after the call came in. At that stage it said a vehicle had probably exploded and that its paramedics were treating 2 casualties with injuries of differing severity. A later update gave the ages, conditions and the hospital. Hadassah Ein Kerem is one of the main hospitals in Jerusalem.

Ynet said the car was filmed on fire in the middle of the road seconds after the explosion. The Jerusalem Post published an image of the burning car, credited to the Fire and Rescue service's Telegram channel, and said the circumstances were not immediately clear. N12 reported that the commander of the Jerusalem District of the Israel Police came to the scene.

How the incident is being described

Hebrew outlets labelled the event a nisayon hisul, a term that translates roughly as an attempted assassination or attempted hit. In Israeli crime reporting it usually refers to a targeted attack by one criminal against another, as distinct from a terror attack. The Times of Israel, citing police and medics, said the blast was a suspected car explosion that police believe was likely criminal and not terror-related, and attributed the identification of the man as a known criminal to Ynet.

The distinction matters in Israel because it decides which agencies lead the response and how the event is classified. A blast in a residential street in Jerusalem can at first be treated as a possible terror incident. In this case police said early on that they saw a criminal motive.

Where the accounts differ

The reports are consistent on the location, the number of casualties, their ages and their conditions. They differ in how firmly they describe the cause. MDA's statements said only that the car had probably exploded. Ynet and N12 referred to an explosive charge. The Jerusalem Post said the circumstances were not immediately clear, while its headline described a suspected criminal assassination attempt.

The identification of the wounded man as a known criminal comes from Israeli media, chiefly Ynet and N12. Police, as quoted in the reports, said the background was criminal but are not cited as naming or describing the man.

What the reports do not say

• None of the reports names the man or his son.
• No suspects, arrests or claims of responsibility are mentioned.
• The reports do not say how the device was placed or set off, or whether it was confirmed to be a bomb.
• There is no information on whether anyone else was nearby or whether property beyond the car was damaged.
• No later update on the condition of the man or the boy is included in the material.
• Police are not cited on any possible link to a wider criminal dispute.