Acre Mayor Shimon Lankri was shot in the chest on Thursday night in what the police have called an apparent assassination attempt. Lankri, 51, suffered moderate wounds and was rushed to the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya. He is hospitalized under police guard. The Coastal District Police said that Lankri was shot at close range by an unknown assailant, while his car was approaching the Kafr Yasif junction on Highway 70, 11 kilometers (7 miles) northeast of Acre, in northern Israel. He was able to drive away from the scene and call for help. Police canvassed the area overnight, but have no leads yet. Lankri was elected as Acre's mayor in 2003 and is currently in his third term. His brother, Shmuel Lankri, said that a threat had been made against the mayor in February. The police, however, said that the threat was not deemed credible enough to assign him a permanent protection detail. "Our routine periodic threat assessment did not indicate that Lankri was in any imminent danger," said Coastal District Police Commander Hagai Dotan. Dr. Massad Barhoum, director-general of the Western Galilee Hospital, said, "The bullet entered the body and exited through the shoulder, missing any vital organs or major blood vessels." Barhoum said Lankri is expected to make a full recovery.
