Roee Bunker, 23, reportedly an associate of the Netanya-based Shirazi family, has been in police custody for eleven days. He was arrested by the National Serious and International Crimes police unit, which is based in Petah Tikva.
The Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court extended Bunker's custody by a further 13 days.
Bunker was originally arrested for possession of a grenade in his vehicle, but police became suspicious that he was one of the two suspects said to have been involved in the attempted hit.
During the shooting on September 8, a gunman entered a Netanya kiosk and opened fire on Abutbul, critically wounding him and injuring three innocent bystanders. The gunman then boarded a motorcycle and a second man driving the bike made a getaway.
The shooting took place in the vicinity of the Bat Haikar restaurant which is owned by Francois Abutbul, Charlie's nephew.
During the custody hearing, Bunker's lawyer Amir Ohana described the police's allegation that his client had been in possession of a grenade as "reasonable," but voiced doubt that police had sufficient evidence tying his client to the attempted murder.
"Regarding the attempted murder, in my view there is no reasonable suspicion here. I assume that what has been presented before the honorable judge is... a statement on some sort of rumor. I would be surprised if there is submissible evidence of [Bunker's] involvement in the attempted murder, and I believe that this is not the case," Ohana said during his sum-up before the court.
Court records show that in 2006 Bunker was arrested and charged with possession of explosives, which police say were hidden in his closet. A Netanya Magistrate's Court then described the explosives as "powerful and dangerous, and those who possess them exhibit their level of danger, even if they do not have a previous criminal record."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite? ... 2FShowFull
----------------------------------------------------------
