A West Bank Palestinian long wanted on suspicion of arson, firebombings and assaults was fatally shot by Israeli security forces in the Jordan Valley early Monday, as he tried to escape into Jordan.
But a companion, believed to have been wounded, managed to cross the border.
An Israel Defense Force spokesman identified the suspect as Wa’il Mahmad Daoud Haj Hassan, 20, of Kalkilya. The IDF said he had been the object of a manhunt for two years.
Hassan was suspected of numerous Molotov cocktail assaults on Israeli vehicles in Kalkilya, as well as attacks on local Arabs whom he believed were cooperating with the Israelis.
The early morning shooting occurred in the Jordan Valley near Moshav Mehula, where an IDF patrol spotted two men acting suspiciously and opened fire on them. Hassan was treated at the scene by a military doctor, but died of his wounds.
There have been numerous infiltration attempts from Jordan in recent months, so settlements in the vicinity were put on alert while the IDF searched the area. Nothing was found and the alert was canceled.
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