[ 20/04/2011 - 08:39 AM ] GAZA, (PIC)-- The Palestinian ministry of interior said the police attack on Tuesday on the whereabouts of the three men accused of killing an Italian activist was an important lesson for everyone tempted to tamper with the security and stability in Gaza.
In a news conference yesterday, spokesman for the ministry Ihab Al-Ghussein explained that a force of policemen in Annuseirat refugee camp found and encircled on Tuesday afternoon the hideout of the three fugitives wanted for murdering Vittorio Arrigoni.
Spokesman Ghussein affirmed the policemen acted wisely and responsibly and demanded the suspects to surrender themselves and show no resistance, but they refused to comply and started to open fire at the police force wounding three of its members.
Despite what happened the police force showed restraint and brought mediators to the scene including families of the fugitives in order to convince them to surrender and avoid bloodshed, but they, especially Abdulrahman Al-Berizat declined all mediatory efforts and insisted on dying instead of turning themselves in, the spokesman elaborated.
He noted that Berizat fired one shot beside one of the fugitives' father, but he did not hurt him.
After the failure of all mediations that lasted over six hours, the police force moved to control the house in an attempt to arrest the suspects and as two policemen climbed on the roof, Berizat spotted them and threw a grenade causing them to sustain moderate injuries.
He also threw another grenade in the second floor killing one of his accomplices, Bilal Al-Omari and wounding Mahmoud Al-Salfiti before shooting himself dead, the spokesman added.
A reporter for the Palestinian information center (PIC) had said earlier that the Palestinian security leadership issued orders to policemen to necessarily arrest the wanted men alive so as to interrogate them and find out more about the crime and its motives.
At an early hour last Friday, the police found Arrigoni dead in an abandoned house north of Gaza just hours after he was kidnapped by a group declared itself as Salafi.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
Uprooted Palestinian
