Man killed in shootout with police at gang compound

One man was killed and another badly wounded in a shootout between police special forces and a known crime gang in the northern town of Taibe on Wednesday afternoon.

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The shooting took place at the compound of the el-Khader family, where men inside opened fire at approaching police — who were dressed in civilian clothing and with masks over their faces. The killed man was later identified as 20-year-old Amir Massawa, reportedly the nephew of the el-Khader crime family boss. Massawa was killed and several people injured, one of them seriously, in the ensuing fire. No law enforcement personnel were hurt.

Large numbers of reinforcements were called to the scene, where residents fumed over the police raid. The standoff continued into Wednesday night, with reports of five arrests.

Police found weapons, ammunition and many surveillance cameras, including monitors that were screening footage through closed-circuit television from the local police station, Army Radio reported.

The Kfar Saba Magistrate’s Court issued a gag order, prohibiting publication of further details.