Unknown assassins, firing Kalachnikov automatic rifles, sent 50 bullets ripping through the car of Abraham Elazar, El Al manager in Istanbul, who was slain while driving home from the airport late yesterday. At least 15 bullets penetrated the body of the 43-year-old Israeli airline executive, killing him instantly, according to Istanbul police.
The attack occurred at 8:30 p.m. Istanbul time. Elazar, having completed his work in connection with the last El Al flight of the day, was nearing the suburbs of the Turkish city on the road from the airport when a speeding car cut him off, forcing him to brake. The killers opened fire and then drove off at high speed in the direction of downtown Istanbul. A police manhunt began later but so far no arrests have been reported.
Elazar, the father of two children, was born in Bulgaria and settled in Israel in 1949 where he went to work for El Al as an electrician. He rose in the company’s ranks to become branch manager in Istanbul. His wife, also an El Al employee, and their children were on leave in Israel when the murder occurred.
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