Police: Shepherd killed in accident, not by settlers

Forensics determine Palestinian teen killed after he picked up an unexploded shell that blew up in his hands.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
shepherd 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
shepherd 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
A 19-year-old Palestinian shepherd found dead in the West Bank this week was killed in an accidental explosion, not by settlers, police said Monday. Neighbors and relatives of the teenager had accused extremist settlers of killing the teen, Yihya Atta Bani Minya of the Jordan Valley village of Aqrabeh, and police looked into that possibility. But spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said forensics experts determined the shepherd was killed after he picked up an unexploded shell that blew up in his hands. He said the shepherd's body suffered shrapnel wounds, and there were no signs the shepherd was shot.