Gazan militant "surrenders to Egyptian police"

Aug 15, 2009, 12:37 GMT

Rafah, Egypt - A Palestinian member of a Gazan militant group with ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist network turned himself into Egyptian security officers Saturday, an Egyptian security official said.

The man was a member of the Jihad al-Salafi group that on Friday clashed with Hamas security officers in the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian security source told the German Press Agency dpa, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A second source in the Egyptian Interior Ministry, also speaking on condition of anonymity, denied the other official's account, but the Palestinian Maan news agency likewise cited Egyptian security officials as saying a Gazan man had turned himself into Egyptian forces.

At least 20 people were killed, and 120 others wounded, when Hamas security officials clashed with militants after the group's leader, Abdel-Latif Moussa, declared an 'Islamic emirate' in the Gaza Strip from his mosque in the divided town of Rafah, Hamas security officials confirmed Saturday. Moussa was among the dead, Hamas said.

The Gazan who turned himself into Egyptian custody on Saturday did so because he was afraid of what the Hamas security forces would do to him if he were captured alive, the Egyptian official said.

Egypt deployed roughly 500 additional guards along the border in case fighting spilled over, the source told dpa.

Earlier on Saturday, Egypt opened the Rafah crossing to allow Palestinian Muslim pilgrims to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah, or 'minor,' pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. Egyptian security officials said Egypt opened the border only after making sure Friday's clashes were over.

Some 2,400 Palestinian pilgrims are expected to cross the border on Saturday and Sunday on their way to Saudi Arabia.

   With brief interruptions, Egypt and Israel have kept the borders of the Gaza Strip closed since Hamas took power there in 2007.