“Kavkazi Mafia” boss Shumi Isakov was killed alongside his son Per, 20, late Saturday night in Kiryat Motzkin, near Haifa.
Shumi and Per Isakov were both in an automobile when they were shot. It is unclear from what position the assailants opened fire.
Isakov, who was 53 years old at the time of his murder, was identified as the “head of the Kavkazi Mafia” by Israeli police. Forensic investigators arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting and collected evidence.
Lt.-Gen. Shaul Tzemach, who was among police officers present at the scene, told Ynet: "The direction we are examining is naturally a criminal motive."
A longtime criminal, Isakov spent 16 months in prison for stabbing a man in 2010. Isakov had survived a previous attempt on his life in 2004, when unidentified assailants opened fire on him, his younger brother and another individual.
Police are unsure if the assassination attempt is connected to an attempt to assassinate Avi Moore (31) and Elior Sharabi (19) earlier this month, although they are not ruling out a link between the two incidents. Moore and Sharabi, who are connected to the criminal underworld in Nahariya, were seriously injured in a car bombing on October 22.