Security camera footage shows that Israeli police officers killed a Palestinian man in May who didn’t pose a threat to them in a “targeted killing,” claimed the left-wing Israeli NGO B’Tselem on Wednesday.
Ahmad ‘Abdu, 25, was sitting in his car in the Um a-Sharayet neighborhood in the West Bank city of El-Bireh on May 25, when officers from the Israeli Special Police Unit blocked his vehicle, exited their vehicle and immediately opened fire toward ‘Abdu, according to the report.
At the time, the Palestinian Wafa News Agency identified the man as Ahmad Jamil Fahd.
In the footage, ‘Abdu, apparently wounded, is seen opening the right door of his vehicle, followed by officers opening some of the other doors of the vehicle. Three minutes afterward, the officers are seen driving away, leaving ‘Abdu lying on the ground. Eyewitnesses stated that ‘Abdu was still alive at that point, but the officers are not seen in the footage giving him first aid or evacuating him for medical care.
According to B’Tselem, abrasions on ‘Abdu’s body indicate that the officers dragged him several meters.
After the officers left the scene, local residents arrived and called an ambulance, which arrived about 15 minutes later to transport ‘Abdu to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. ‘Abdu had gunshot wounds to the left side of his chest and to his legs.
After the incident, the Shin Bet called ‘Abdu’s uncle and other relatives and apologized for the killing. The Shin Bet also demanded that the family turn in ‘Abdu’s uncle, Muhammad Abu ‘Arab, for allegedly shooting toward soldiers during a demonstration near El-Bireh.
The night after ‘Abdu was killed, soldiers arrested four of his cousins and searched the homes of his uncle’s in-laws and their neighbors. The in-laws’ 17-year-old son was arrested.
According to Israeli media, Border Police stated that ‘Abdu was killed during an attempted arrest and was an accomplice to a terrorist.
“The documented chain of events shows that the officers made no attempt to arrest him, but shot and killed him the moment they stepped out of their vehicle,” said B’Tselem. “In its statement, the Border Police did not even argue that ‘Abdu posed any kind of danger to the force, and provided no explanation whatsoever for the lethal shooting. Opening live fire at a person sitting in his car, without even trying to arrest him, is not an ‘attempted arrest.’ It is a targeted killing.”
‘Abdu’s uncle told B’Tselem that a Shin Bet agent called Capt. Halabi called him the morning after the incident and apologized for what happened.
“I said that I didn’t understand how they could do such a thing and kill an innocent person. He replied that Ahmad had been helping my brother Muhammad, and that Muhammad was wanted by Israel. I only later found out that they suspect Muhammad of shooting at soldiers during a demonstration near Beit El,” said Abu ‘Arab.
“Capt. Halabi’s answer annoyed me, and I argued with him about Ahmad’s death. He apologized again and demanded that Muhammad turn himself in. I agreed to talk to him, but only once the three days of mourning are over,” added ‘Abdu’s uncle.
“My nephew was a young man who had his whole life ahead of him. He was a kind, polite, devout guy who loved people, and everyone liked him. Like other guys his age, he dreamed of getting married and starting a family. He was engaged and was supposed to get married this summer, after completing the construction of his apartment in al-Am’ari refugee camp,” said Abu ‘Arab.