http://www.maannews.net
15/04/2011 08:11

Body of abducted Italian activist found in Gaza home

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Ministry of Interior in Gaza said early Friday that an abducted Italian solidarity activist was found dead hours after being kidnapped by radical Islamists.

The government in Gaza "condemns the heinous crime that does not reflect our values, our religion or our customs and traditions," a statement form the ministry said vowing to hunt down those responsible.

Salafist radicals in Gaza were suspected in the kidnapping of Vittorio Arrigoni, an activist for the International Solidarity Movement, last seen alive in a video posted online Thursday.

One person has been arrested, officials said.

The "Salafi Jihadi" group had threatened to kill him unless Hamas released Salafist prisoners by Friday evening. Ahead of the deadline passed, however, Hamas said his body was found in a home.

Huwaida Arraf, a co-founder of the ISM, confirmed that Vittorio's body was identified by staff in Gaza City. "It's unbelievable," she said. "He was more Palestinian than the criminals that killed him."

Hamas security forces have in recent years taken a hard line against Salafists in Gaza.

In March, sources close to the Salafists told Ma'an that their leader, Hisham Su'idni, 50, was arrested from his home in the Shati refugee camp. The video posted Thursday demanded his release.

Arrigoni held honorary citizenship for his work in the occupied territories, "a hero of Palestine," said Khalil Shaheen of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in an ISM statement.

Before the death was announced, Palestinians had planned to meet in Gaza City's central Jundi square on Friday at 4 p.m. The protest was to demand Arrigoni's release, the Gaza Youth Breaks Out group said.