Israeli soldiers kill militant meeting Briton
Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian militant early today while he was with a British woman in the West Bank city of Nablus, witnesses and the army said.
Soldiers broke into a house where Mohammed Alasi, 24, a local leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, was meeting the woman, who Palestinian witnesses had said was a reporter. Alasi tried to flee, but soldiers shot him dead and took his body, they said.
The army said the Briton was an activist who gave refuge to militants in her home and denied she was a journalist.
Undercover forces surrounded a house and ordered a wanted militant to surrender, the army said. Soldiers shot him when he tried to escape. The body was later turned over to the Palestinians, the army said.
Palestinian police said the British woman was being questioned at her home, where she was said to be in shock. They said she was about 60, had been living in Nablus for a few years and had changed her last name to Alasi. They did not know her original family name.
The Al Aqsa group is linked to the ruling Fatah party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Nablus, the largest city in the West Bank, is a main centre of militant activity. Israeli forces carry out frequent raids there.
| Related Stories: |
|
