Yanis Yushvaev, 40, one of Israel's most dangerous criminals, was shot dead at point-blank range outside a petrol station in Caesarea, Israel, on Sunday, in an attack captured on CCTV.
Footage shows the suspect, wearing a grey hoodie, black cargo trousers and a white baseball cap, walking towards the building entrance with his hands in his pockets. As he reached the steps, Yushvaev and two other men left the building. The gunman turned, pulled a handgun from his hoodie pocket and shot Yushvaev in the back of the head. The other two men flinched as the attacker ran from the scene.
According to social media reports, the killer "used a hyperrealistic silicone mask of the 'second skin' type" to conceal his identity, then fled in a getaway car that was found abandoned and set on fire in a nearby town a dozen or so minutes later.
Yushvaev was taken to hospital but was later pronounced dead. The Israeli ambulance service said he "had no pulse and was not breathing, and was suffering from significant injuries."
Police said the killing was criminally motivated and launched a manhunt for the suspect, setting up roadblocks and deploying a helicopter in the search.
Known to police
Yushvaev was the head of a crime group with links to the Jewish Caucasus community, Israeli police have said. Local media reported he was well known to police and had been arrested several times on suspicion of violent crimes, including shootings, grenade attacks and vehicle arson, but was never convicted.
In February, he was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after a trip to Moscow, but was released days later due to insufficient evidence. In November last year, a police spokesman told a court hearing that Yushvaev was the boss of "a criminal gang involved in blood feuds," during a police request to extend his custody on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime.
'Legitimate businessman'
Alongside his criminal activities, Yushvaev was a restaurant owner in Or Akiva. Last year, he described himself as a "legitimate businessman" who was "very well-established." In an interview with Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, he said he "drives a Bentley, and that bothers police."
An Israeli police source told the broadcaster it was "hard to convict" Yushvaev because he "almost never talks on the phone" and had the "complete loyalty" of his henchmen, who would not give him up during police interrogation.
