West Bank gunmen carjack Palestinian minister
Security official says attackers were likely targeting any PA government vehicle to avenge recent arrests; minister unharmed
Gunmen hijacked the car of a Palestinian Authority minister as he was driving north of Jerusalem Tuesday, in what appeared to be a revenge attack against the government over recent arrests.
Social Development Ibrahim al-Shaer was being driven near the near the Qalandiya refugee camp when unidentified men obstructed the car, forced him and his driver out by gunpoint and then sped away in the vehicle, a witness told the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency.
Shaer and his driver were unhurt in the incident.
Palestinian police spokesman Luay Irzeiqat told Palestinian media that the minister’s stolen car had been found, but the assailants had not been caught.
A Palestinian security official told Ma’an the assault was likely retribution for a recent arrest of four men in the camp by PA security forces.
Another security official told the news agency that the gunmen did not target al-Shaer specifically, but “only wanted to attack any Palestinian government vehicle.”
According to UNWRA, the UN agency in charge of Palestinian refugees, high levels of unemployment, overcrowding, and frequent incursions by Israeli forces negatively affect the social fabric of the camp.
The agency says the camp has witnessed a rise in violence and criminal behavior in recent years as a result of the deteriorating economic conditions.