Israel arrests Islamic Jihad leader
Israeli commandos today arrested a leader of the militant Islamic Jihad group who was hiding under a parked car when he was seized in a West Bank refugee camp.
Troops backed by two dozen armoured vehicles and two attack helicopters entered the Jenin refugee camp and arrested the Islamic Jihad leader, Bassam Saadi, witnesses said.
Saadi was hiding under a car when he was caught, said Atef Abu Rub, a resident of the area.
Residents of four nearby apartment buildings were ordered out of their homes during the operation.
The military confirmed the arrest and said 14 other wanted Palestinians were also taken into custody overnight.
Saadi was a top fugitive, and became the group’s spokesman and apparent leader in the West Bank after other senior members of the group were killed or arrested in Israeli raids last year.
