Border cops shoot West Bank Palestinian who arouses suspicion

Police say suspect, injured in the leg, ignored officers’ calls to stop at checkpoint in Abu Dis outside Jerusalem; nothing untoward found in his bag

An illustrative photo of a Border Police officer checking the ID of a Palestinian woman at the security barrier next to the West Bank village of Abu Dis on February 25, 2008. (Kobi Gideon/Flash90)
An illustrative photo of a Border Police officer checking the ID of a Palestinian woman at the security barrier next to the West Bank village of Abu Dis on February 25, 2008. (Kobi Gideon/Flash90)

A Palestinian man was shot by Border Police officers in the West Bank after arousing their suspicion and ignoring calls to stop, police said.

The suspect got out of a cab near a checkpoint in the Jerusalem area village of Abu Dis and walked toward the officers while carrying a suspicious black bag, according to police, who said the man was cursing and called out “Allahu akbar.”

“Immediately the protocols for stopping a suspicious person were conducted during which one of the officers fired in the air. When this and calls for [the suspect] to stop went unanswered he was shot in leg and neutralized,” police said.

Police said the suspect, a resident of the West Bank village of Sa’ir in his 30s, was lightly wounded by the gunshot and taken for treatment after being arrested.

Bomb sappers called to the scene examined the black bag and found nothing suspicious. Police however stressed the officers “acted as expected in light of the circumstances of the incident.”

Jacob Magid contributed to this report.

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