"A family man, not a mafia boss": The Yushaev family rejects police claims
The family rejects the claims that Yushaev headed a criminal organization and argues that the nickname was attached to him due to his origin. According to them, he was a legitimate businessman and may have been murdered due to a case of mistaken identity. The suspect in the assassination denies the allegations against him and his arrest was extended until Wednesday.
On Monday, the family of Yanis Yushaev will conclude the shiva following his burial last Tuesday at the cemetery in Or Akiva. Last Sunday, he was shot to death at a restaurant at a gas station near Caesarea in what is defined as an underworld assassination.
Yushaev, 45 at the time of his death, was considered an intelligence target of the Hadera Police and the Coastal District Central Unit, and the nickname "head of the Caucasian mafia in Or Akiva and the Sharon" was attached to him.
However, his family members reject the claims that he was the head of a criminal organization and involved in criminal activity.
"He was a family man, a perfect husband and a perfect father to three children," said a relative. "He was not connected to the criminal world and there were no threats against him. If he was what they say about him, he would not have walked around so freely and without guards."
Another relative stated: "He was a legitimate businessman. He owned a restaurant, a shawarma place, and kiosks. He was not a mafia boss. Because he belongs to the Caucasian community, they gave him that name. It is all the work of the police and the media. The police were just harassing him. He was arrested more than once, and he was always released without any indictments being filed against him." The family members believe that he was murdered due to a case of mistaken identity.
Meanwhile, a criminal from the north is in police custody, suspected of being sent to eliminate Yushaev. According to the investigation, he waited for him outside the restaurant, shot him at point-blank range, and fled. He was later arrested by YAMAM fighters while hiding in a warehouse in Hadera. He denies any involvement in the murder. The court extended his arrest until Wednesday, when the police are expected to request a further extension of his detention.
