A kidnapped Egyptian diplomat was released by his captors early yesterday, two days after he was abducted at gunpoint in Gaza City, officials said.
Palestinian security officials said police picked up Hussam alMousaly at a mosque in Gaza's Zeitoun neighborhood overnight and took him home. Egyptian diplomatic officials confirmed al-Mousaly was unharmed and back at his home in Gaza City.
A previously unknown Palestinian group calling itself the "Al Ahrar Brigades" on Friday had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
PHOTO: AFP
The group, whose name means "the liberated people" in Arabic, demanded the release of dozens of Palestinian criminals held in Egyptian jails. In a statement, it warned of unspecified "unfortunate consequences" if the prisoners were not released within 48 hours.
The same group had issued a statement to the al-Jazeera satellite network early yesterday in which it said it had freed al-Mousaly as a "goodwill gesture."
It said it had kidnapped the diplomat to draw attention to the plight of Palestinian prisoners held by Egypt and reiterated its call for their release. It also said it was not connected to the Palestinian Authority or any of the major Palestinian militant groups.
Egyptian security officials in Sinai, which borders Gaza, confirmed more than 80 Palestinians are in jail for weapons smuggling or illegally entering the country.
The Egyptian diplomats would not say whether they had given in to the kidnappers' demands. They said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry would release a formal statement later yesterday.
Al-Mousaly, Egypt's military attache to the Palestinian Authority, was kidnapped from his car near the Egyptian mission in Gaza City on Thursday after two masked gunmen shot out the tires of the vehicle.
The abduction, carried out in broad daylight, underscored the lawlessness plaguing Gaza in the wake of Israel's withdrawal from the area last September.
Egypt, a key ally of the Palestinians, has been trying to broker the formation of a new Palestinian government following Hamas' victory in legislative elections last month.
The Egyptian was the first diplomat to be nabbed amid a recent spate of kidnappings, and the abduction was the most serious attack on diplomats in the Palestinian areas since three US security guards were killed when a US diplomatic convoy was hit by a bomb in October 2003.
Little was known about the kidnappers. Major militant groups, including Hamas, condemned the abduction and denied involvement.
Many of the recent Gaza kidnappings have been carried out by small groups seeking the release of relatives from jail, jobs or other personal favors.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has come under criticism for giving in to some of the demands, with critics saying the tactic has encouraged more unrest.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was