Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas ordered a crackdown on Ramallah armed activists early Thursday after a group of gunmen fired at his compound while he was inside, security officials said.
The group of 15 armed men attacked the compound on Wednesday before rampaging through the city, damaging several restaurants and forcing shops to close, witnesses and officials said, according to The AP.
In a meeting with security officials after the shooting spree, Abbas ordered the men arrested, more troops deployed throughout the city and compensation paid to the businesses that were damaged, security officials said.
The gunmen - who said they were part of Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades - said they protested after Palestinian security agents forced six of them out of the Ramallah headquarters, where they had sought refuge after Israel started hunting down fugitives shortly after violence erupted in September 2000.
A Palestinian security official said the security forces asked the six men to either hand over their weapons or leave the compound after “they were involved in kidnappings, blackmailing, harming people, shooting them.” “They were warned many times to stop their behavior and actions,” the official was quoted as saying by The AP.
Another security official warned that the security forces were “considering taking harsh steps against them.” “They have crossed the red line. They attacked the presidential headquarters. They are defying the Palestinian Authority and now we have to take harsh steps against them, otherwise they will control the city and spread chaos,” the official said.
