British man detained in Gaza

Hamas officials say journalist suspected of breaking the law.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
journalists 298 (photo credit: CNN)
journalists 298
(photo credit: CNN)
Hamas security forces arrested a British man in Gaza on Sunday, British and Hamas officials said.
Hamas police spokesman Ehab Ghussein identified the man as a journalist and said he was suspected of breaking the law, but did not elaborate. The man's name was not released.
The British consulate in Jerusalem confirmed the arrest, but did not say whether the man was a journalist.
"We are urgently looking into the matter and following up with the responsible people so we can sort this matter out on the consular level," said Fadi Adeeb, a spokesman for the consulate.
A spokesman for a Palestinian terrorist group, the Abu Rish Brigades,said the journalist was at a Gaza courthouse Sunday to show support fora member of the brigades who was being tried on charges of providinginformation to Israel.
During the trial, a judge ordered the journalist to be taken intocustody and held for two weeks, said the spokesman, who only gave hisnom de guerre, Abu Ahmed.
Ghussein said Hamas security forces have obtained "confessions that theBritish journalist violated Palestinian law and the security of thestate." He did not explain further.
Hamas is eager to improve its image in the West and has generally notinterfered with the work of foreign journalists since seizing controlof Gaza in 2007.