Palestinian who ran over 3 soldiers turns himself in: army

Image
AFP Jerusalem
Last Updated : Nov 06 2014 | 6:24 PM IST
A Palestinian who ran over three Israeli soldiers in the southern West Bank overnight turned himself in to the security forces today, the army said.
The incident took place near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc late yesterday, several hours after a Palestinian deliberately ran down two groups of pedestrians in Jerusalem, killing a border policeman.
Police described the Jerusalem violence as a "hit and run terror attack" with the West Bank incident widely believed to be a copycat attack.
"The Palestinian suspected of running over the three soldiers last night turned himself in to the security forces and has been taken for investigation," an army statement said.
The vehicle, which had Palestinian plates, ran over three soldiers, one of whom was critically injured, police said.
The driver fled the scene, prompting a huge manhunt to locate him.
Palestinian witnesses in Al-Arub refugee camp between Bethlehem and Hebron said soldiers had found the vehicle abandoned and traced the owner to Beit Awwa village, southwest of Hebron.
Relatives confirmed to AFP that Hamam Masalmeh, 23, from Beit Awwa in the southern West Bank, had turned himself in to the security forces, insisting that the incident was nothing more than a road accident.
"He turned himself in to the Israeli forces," his uncle Omar Masalmeh told AFP.
"He vehemently denies it was an attack and insists it was an accident in which he lost control of the car."
A police statement said the soldiers were hit by a vehicle with Palestinian licence plates as they stood guard outside Al-Arub camp at around 2000 GMT.
Following the incident, Israeli troops raided Al-Arub camp and searched homes in Beit Awwa, residents said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 06 2014 | 6:24 PM IST

Next Story