Turkey seeks better protection for embassy in Israel (Roundup)

Aug 18, 2010, 14:23 GMT

Ankara / Tel Aviv - Turkey has asked Israel to provide better protection for its embassy in Tel Aviv, Turkish media reported Wednesday, a day after a Palestinian barricaded himself inside the building and demanded political asylum.

Ankara was surprised at how easy it was for the man to get into the premises, a foreign ministry official was quoted as saying.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said in response that he expected the outer security of the embassy would be beefed up.

The perpetrator of the incident, whose name was given as Nadim Injaz, was released from hospital Wednesday after being shot, apparently by an embassy staff member during the standoff which followed his bursting into the building.

A police spokeswoman in Tel Aviv told the German Press Agency dpa that he was remanded in custody for seven days.

Injaz entered the embassy building, located on Tel Aviv's busy HaYarkon Street, on Tuesday evening. He claimed he was armed and demanded safe passage to Ankara. He was then apparently shot by one of the embassy's security personnel. He was afterwards found to be armed with a toy gun.

After a six-hour standoff, during which Israeli police and rescue services were not allowed into the building, an Israeli paramedic was granted entry to evaluate his condition and take him to hospital.

Injaz is reportedly a former collaborator with the Israeli Shin Bet internal security agency. He has complained that he was no longer needed by Israel and felt persecuted by Palestinian authorities.

The 32-year-old is also reported to have mental health issues and four years ago was involved in a similar incident at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv.

The incident comes at a time of strained relations between Israel Turkey. The once close ties between Jerusalem and Ankara have been deteriorating since Israel launched a massive attack against the Hamas administration and militants in the Gaza Strip. They were further weakened in late May, following an Israeli takeover of an aid convoy bound for the Gaza Strip that left nine Turkish nationals dead.