The streets of Qalqilya were boiling with anger on Sunday night after the imam of the Sahaba Mosque in the village of Haja, Sheikh Mohammed Qashou’, 22, and head of the Islamic Bloc in the Islamic Daawa College in the city was kidnapped by masked men who intercepted his car while on his way to the mosque to perform the evening prayers.
The streets of Qalqilya were boiling with anger on Sunday night after the imam of the Sahaba Mosque in the village of Haja, Sheikh Mohammed Qashou’, 22, and head of the Islamic Bloc in the Islamic Daawa College in the city was kidnapped by masked men who intercepted his car while on his way to the mosque to perform the evening prayers. One Palestinian policeman was injured during the kidnapping as he was accompanying the sheikh to the mosque.
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The injured policeman, Firas Hantash said in his testimony from his hospital bed, “While Sheikh Mohammed was driving his Subaru, we were stopped by a barricade of rocks. A masked man showed up and walked towards the car. There were two other masked men on the other side. As they tried to kidnap Sheikh Mohammed they opened fire from an old rifle. I was hit in the left shoulder. They hijacked the car with Sheikh Mohammed in it.” Hantash was taken to a Nablus hospital for treatment.
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Qalqilya governor Mustapha Malki said, “There is a security committee following up the issue and individuals have been summoned for questioning about the kidnapping. The Sheikh’s car was also brought to the police directorate to examine the type of bullet that was shot at the car.”
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He added, “Anyone involved will be handed over to the law whatever his status or place in his faction may be or if he is related to the security establishment in any way. Head of the preventive security apparatus, Iyad Al Aqra’ confirmed that the situation is extremely grave and that they were closely investigating any clues that might lead them to the kidnappers, “because this does not harm only the faction in question but the security of all citizens and the security situation of the entire governorate.”
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Relatives of the kidnapper said that some members of the security services confirmed to them that the Sheikh was found at the police directorate. Head of the directorate, Abul Raed denied this.
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The relatives, who preferred to remain unnamed said, “It is true that some employees in the security services told us Sheikh Mohammed was found and that he is now with the police in Qalqilya. After a while, this was refuted completely.”
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Hamas, meanwhile, organized a huge march that began at the Martyr Abu Ali Iyad square and moved towards the governorate headquarters. The demonstrators demanded that the rule of law be implemented and transgressors held accountable. Afterwards, the participants held a sit-in that lasted until dawn, Monday after morning prayers in front of the governorate.
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Sources from Hamas said a number of people came to the hospital where the injured policeman was and asked him to say that Israeli special forces had kidnapped Sheikh Mohammed.
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It should be noted that Sheikh Mohammed has played an active role in the local elections in his village, Baqat Al Hatab, and is also one of the candidates for the Hamas-affiliated “Giving and Building Bloc” which one four seats. His relatives say there have been previous threats against him by people known to be involved in the elections because of his bloc’s success. Sheikh Mohammed was born in Saudi Arabia, where his family still lives.
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Post script: Sheikh Mohammed was released early Monday morning and said he was interrogated about his role in the elections.
