Shimon Lankri, the mayor of Akko, has been shot and wounded in an apparent assassination attempt. Lankri was attacked Thursday night at the Kfar Yasif junction.

The attack occurred as he was returning home from an event.

A bullet hit Lankri but did not rupture major blood vessels, leaving him conscious long enough to call for help. Paramedics took him to hospital in moderate-to-serious condition.

Rabbi Yosef Yashar, the Rabbi of Akko, told Voice of Israel radio (Kol Yisrael) that Lankri is beloved to most residents of Akko.

Lankri’s brother, Shmuel, said that the mayor had been threatened one month earlier. A complaint was filed with police, but the incident was not considered so serious as to make Lankri a “threatened person” in need of constant security coverage, he said.