Hamas arrests suspect in killing of Palestinian scientist in Malaysia

Hamas arrests suspect in killing of Palestinian scientist in Malaysia
On Sunday, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry announced that it arrested a Gaza-based suspect accused of killing a Palestinian scientist Fady al-Batsh in Malaysia.
2 min read
09 January, 2022
On Sunday, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry announced that it arrested a Gaza-based suspect accused of killing a Palestinian scientist Fady al-Batsh in Malaysia. (Getty)

The Hamas-run interior ministry announced on Sunday that it has arrested a Palestinian suspect accused of working as a Mossad agent and killing Palestinian scientist Fady al-Batsh in Malaysia.

In a press statement sent to The New Arab, Eyad al-Bozzom, the spokesman of the ministry, said "Investigations with the suspect revealed that he was assigned by the Israeli Mossad to participate in the assassination of the Palestinian scientist in Malaysia in 2018".

In a killing widely blamed Israel, Fady al-Batsh, a Gaza-born electrical engineer and a Hamas activist, was gunned down by two motorcyclists as he walked to dawn prayers in Kuala Lumpur in 2018.

A source close to Hamas, who asked to remain anonymous, told The New Arab that the suspect in the assassination had recently arrived in Gaza.

"Because of his need for money, he called the Israeli officer who assigned him to kill al-Batsh to ask for money… during the call, the officer asked him where was he. He answered he was in Gaza," the source said.

He added that Hamas intelligence officers had traced the call and found out his whereabouts and arrested him immediately.

"The agent admitted that he carried out the mission in Malaysia with another person commissioned by the Mossad, and he shot the scientist."

Al-Batsh's family said they were content that their son's killer was arrested in Gaza, calling on the local authorities to implement justice.

Mohammed al-Batsh, Fady's father, told The New Arab "I will demand the death penalty", stating that it was the only fair punishment for  his son's killing.