Palestinian police lynch suspect while in custody

The victim’s family denounced the murder, saying he was “killed in cold blood without the least observance of human rights” and demanded that the “killers” be brought to justice.

Palestinian policemen on Tuesday morning lynched a man suspected of shooting and killing two of their colleagues last week while he was in their custody at a police station in Shechem (Nablus).

Palestinian security services spokesperson Adnan Dmeiri  stated that when the suspect arrived at the Juneid security compound in Shechem he acted violently, shouting and swearing at the security officers, who then beat him to death.

The Palestinian Al-Quds news reported that some of the police fired in the air in an attempt to save the lynch victim.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah announced that a special committee will be formed to look into the man’s death, and the findings will be shared with the public.

Al-Quds described the lynched suspect as the most prominent Nablus-area leader of Fatah’s military wing, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and among “the most wanted” fugitives by the PA’s security services.

The victim’s family denounced the murder, saying he was “killed in cold blood without the least observance of human rights” and demanded that the “killers” be brought to justice.

The victim was the third suspect to die in clashes with the Palestinian police in recent days. Two Palestinian security officers were killed on Thursday in the exchange of fire during the arrests, and two more were wounded.

On Sunday, three more suspects were arrested during a raid, and security forces seized automatic weapons, ammunition and anti-tank missiles.

Dmeiri said that security forces will continue their crackdown on “the phenomenon of illegal weapon possession” until it “is brought to an end.”

Critics charge that Palestinian police use heavy-handed tactics against suspects, though killings of suspects by police are rare.

Five Palestinian security officers have been killed in the past month in similar clashes, as Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas appears to be losing his iron grip on various areas within the PA.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

CrimePalestinian AuthorityPalestinian police