Scotland Yard has issued a general warning to members of the Anglo-Jewish community to exercise utmost care in the aftermath of the shooting Sunday night of Joseph Edward Sieff. The 68-year-old department store executive and philanthropist who has been active on behalf of Israel and other Jewish causes was reported to be in an improved condition this morning after undergoing surgery for the removal of a bullet from his head.
Scotland Yard informed the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that it has “no knowledge” of a “death list” of prominent British Jews compiled by Arab terrorists according to a London newspaper report. “But we issued this morning a general warning to members of the Anglo-Jewish community through the Board of Deputies (of British Jews) that they should exercise the utmost care in view of the tragedy that has befallen Mr. Sieff,” the spokesman said. He added that “The warning was in general terms and not tied to any specific knowledge we have as to the actual shooting” at Sieff’s central London home Sunday night.
In Beirut, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for shooting Sieff. A PFLP spokesman said Sieff was a leader of the Zionist Movement which “committed and is still committing crimes and massacres against our Palestine people.”
REMOVAL OF BULLET SUCCESSFUL
Sieff’s personal secretary told the JTA this afternoon that “The operation for the removal of a bullet in Mr. Sieff’s head was completely successful and he has stood up much better than expected. However, he is still very seriously ill in the intensive care unit of Middlesex Hospital and his wife is at his bedside as are his two daughters. His doctors have described his condition just now ‘rather better than could have been expected.’ He has not spoken before or after the operation and the police are still waiting to interview him when it is possible. It will take several days before it can be ascertained whether a complete recovery is likely,” the secretary said.
Sieff was shot by an unidentified assailant admitted to his home by his butler Sunday night. A Scotland Yard spokesman told the JTA, “we cannot yet say anything beyond the fact that there are no signs of robbery as a motive. The butler, a Portuguese, and the other two servants who were in the house have been interviewed in great detail and the hunt for the culprit or culprits goes on.”
Sieff is president of Spencer. Marks, one of the world’s largest retail stores. He is president of the Joint Israel Appeal, honorary vice president of the Zionist Federation and president of the Zionist Federation’s Education Trust. His elder brother, Lord Sieff, is vice-president of the World Jewish Congress. Immediately after the attack police cordoned off the area surrounding Sieff’s mansion and tightened security around other leading British Jews. A police spokesman said there has been maximum security for leading British Jews for the past two years after threats had been made against the life of Sieff, members of his family and other prominent Jews.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
