A man in the West Bank accused of killing a policeman on Thursday was beaten to death by Palestinian Authority forces, according to a Palestinian Authority official.
Palestinian security in Nablus city beat to death a detained Palestinian accused of killing two policemen in the city- official
— Nasser Atta (@nasseratta5) August 23, 2016
Palestinian police conducted raids in Nablus on Thursday with the stated aim of uncovering illegal weapons. The raids quickly turned bloody—two Palestinian police officers and two gunmen were killed, according to Nablus governor Akram Rajoub who was cited by the Times of Israel.
A man accused of having caused the death of one of the officers was then arrested and taken into detention at a nearby prison, according to reports on Twitter by local journalists.
The suspect, named as Ahmad Halawe, was beaten to death by Palestinian forces, Palestinian police spokesman Adnan al-Doumari said. Halawe was apparently an ex-police officer himself.
Palestinian Authority security spox admits that Palestinian murder suspect Ahmad halawe was arrested & beaten to death in a Nablus prison
— Ibrahim Husseini (@husseiniibrahim) August 23, 2016
Mahmoud Abbas's security forces arrested an ex-police sergeant in Nablus today, then beat him to death as he arrived at Juneid prison.
— Mohammad Alsaafin (@malsaafin) August 23, 2016
Arabic-language media also reported the incident, including the Palestine-focused news site QudsNet.
If Halawe was beaten to death by the Palestinian Authority, it does not bode well for the President Mahmoud Abbas, whose ratings have fallen lately and who faces opposition in upcoming elections in early October.
-Hunter Stuart
