GAZA: Palestinian gunmen storm election offices and plant bombs at Rafah crossing in the latest signs of a growing unrest.

Record ID: 376920

  • Title: GAZA: Palestinian gunmen storm election offices and plant bombs at Rafah crossing in the latest signs of a growing unrest.
  • Date: 4th January 2006
  • Summary: GUNMEN STANDING IN DOOR FRAME
  • Embargoed: 19th January 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA555KE1M9J29JAJWFOLLP2VK9R
  • Story Text: Palestinian gunmen planted bombs at Gaza's border cross with Egypt and stormed government offices on Wednesday (January 4) to demand the release of a man suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of three Britons last week.
    The action by the gunmen from al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades was the latest sign of unrest threatening to delay a Jan. 25 parliamentary election in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
    Witnesses said about 20 gunmen placed explosives as well as mortar bombs and launchers at the entrance to the Rafah border terminal in an attempt to prevent it from opening to daily traffic on schedule at around 8 a.m. (0600 GMT).
    The terminal was officially open, although few cars attempted to approach.
    But masked and armed militants took positions at a gate leading to the border and demanded that passengers hand over their papers for inspection. Palestinian officials or passengers with diplomatic passports would be turned away, the gunmen said.
    The protest was to demand the release of a local al-Aqsa brigades leader arrested by Palestinian police on suspicion of being behind last week's kidnapping of aid worker Kate Burton and her parents during a visit to Rafah.
    The three Britons were snatched near the Rafah border crossing and released after three days in captivity.
    After the show of force at the frontier crossing, the gunmen moved their protest to government offices in Rafah where they shut one office after the other, including an elections bureau.
    "It will remain closed and we will not allow holding parliament elections in Rafah if Ala (the kidnapping suspect) is not released," said one of the gunmen who called himself Abu Yazam.
    On Tuesday night, gunmen stormed an office responsible for security agencies in Rafah and later detonated a bomb under the Gaza-Egypt border fence to press for their leader's release.
    The Rafah crossing is the first to be policed by the Palestinians, along with European Union monitors and Egyptian security forces. It was opened in November under a U.S.-brokered accord following the completion of Israel's pullout from Gaza in September.
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