Suspected Palestinian collaborator killed in W Bank

JENIN, West Bank, Aug 13: Gunmen from a Palestinian militant group shot dead a man suspected of collaborating with Israel in front a crowd of people in the West Bank city of Jenin today, witnesses said.

Television pictures showed the handcuffed and blindfolded man, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, being forced to kneel in front of a mound of sand before being shot several times in the chest by at least two gunmen dressed in combat uniforms.

A crowd of several dozen people cheered and shouted ''Allahu Akbar'' (God is Greatest) as the man fell backwards and died.

Witnesses said the 25-year-old was killed by members of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group allied to Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

They said the man had confessed to informing on members of Islamic Jihad, another militant group, to the Israelis.

The Aqsa Martyrs Brigade confirmed that some of its members had taken part in the killing. Executions have occurred in the past when suspected collaborators have been discovered.

REUTERS