Israeli troops arrest Islamic Jihad leader
(AP)
Updated: 2006-05-11 17:03 Israeli troops on Thursday
arrested a leader of the militant Islamic Jihad group in the West Bank town of
Jenin, the army and Palestinians said.
The Islamic Jihad leader, Saleh al-Sabi, surrendered to the soldiers after
they surrounded his hideout for several hours and shot in the air, witnesses and
gunmen said. One of his assistants also surrendered, they said.
Heavy exchanges of fire were heard in the area between soldiers and Islamic
Jihad gunmen, but no injuries were reported, witnesses and medical officials
said.
Palestinian youths threw stones at the more than 15 army jeeps involved in
the operation, witnesses said. The army responded by firing rubber-coated steel
bullets, wounding five Palestinians, the witnesses and medical officials said.
Islamic Jihad, a violent group backed by Syria and Iran, has carried out
several deadly attacks in Israel, including a suicide bombing last month that
killed nine people.
Israel conducts arrest operations almost nightly in West Bank
towns.
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