Moment one of Israel’s most dangerous criminals is shot dead at petrol station at point-blank range
CCTV footage has captured the moment a gunman shot dead Yanis Yushvaev, described as one of Israel's most dangerous criminals, at point-blank range outside a petrol station in Caesarea. The 40-year-old, said to head a crime group linked to the Jewish Caucasus community, was killed on Sunday in what police believe was a criminally motivated hit, prompting a manhunt involving roadblocks and a police helicopter.
Footage shows the disguised gunman, reportedly wearing a hyperrealistic silicone mask, approaching the building before shooting Yushvaev in the back of the head as he left with two other men. The assailant fled in a getaway car that was later found abandoned and burnt out nearby. Yushvaev, who owned a restaurant in Or Akiva and had called himself a "legitimate businessman", had been arrested multiple times over alleged shootings, grenade attacks and arson but was never convicted, with police previously noting he rarely used phones and commanded total loyalty from associates.
- Israeli mafia boss Yanis Yushvaev shot dead at petrol station in Caesarea
- Disguised gunman fled by car, later found torched nearby
- Police launch manhunt; Yushvaev had evaded conviction despite many arrests
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Yanis Yushvaev, 40, was a well-known figure in Israeli organised crime, said to lead a group with links to the Jewish Caucasus community. He had faced multiple arrests over alleged shootings, grenade attacks and arson, but was never convicted, and he had described himself publicly as a "legitimate businessman" who also owned a restaurant in Or Akiva, a town near Caesarea in northern Israel.
Caesarea, where the shooting took place, is an upmarket coastal town, and the killing at a petrol station there has drawn wide attention because of Yushvaev's reputation and the brazen, professional nature of the attack. Israeli police believe organised crime rivalries were behind the shooting, and they have launched a manhunt, including roadblocks and a helicopter search, for the gunman.
This case sits within a broader pattern of organised crime violence in Israel, where turf disputes between crime families have periodically spilled into public spaces. The killing of such a high-profile figure, caught on camera, has raised questions about the reach and boldness of criminal networks operating in the country.