Hamas vows revenge for key member killed in Malaysia

Fares Akram
INTERNACIONAL.- Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group said that a man who was gunned down in Malaysia was an important member of the organization, accusing Israel of being behind the brazen killing. Hamas said Palestinian engineer Fadi alBatsh was a “loyal” member and a “scientist of Palestine’s youth scholars.”

It gave no further details on his scientific accomplishments but said he had made “important contributions” and participated in international forums in the field of energy. Hamas initially stopped short of blaming Israel, saying only that he had been “assassinated by the hand of treachery.”

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But later its top leader accused Israel’s Mossad spy agency intelligence of killing him and threatened retaliation. Ismail Haniyeh told The Associated Press Saturday that based on previous assassinations “Mossad is not away from this disgraceful, terrible crime.”

“There will be an unsettled account between us and it,” Haniyeh said at the Gaza mourning tent, referring to Mossad. “We cannot give up on the blood of our sons, youths and scholars.” The Israeli government had no comment.

But Israel has a long history of suspected targeting of wanted Palestinian militants in daring overseas operations around the globe and has been linked to other assassinations as well, though it has rarely publicly acknowledged them.

Malaysian police say the 34-year-old alBatsh was gunned down early by two assailants who shot at least eight bullets from a motorbike as he was heading to a mosque for dawn prayers in Kuala Lampur. It said closed-circuit television footage showed him targeted by assassins who had waited for him for almost 20 minutes.