A top leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, was arrested at his home in Gaza on Saturday evening, a Hamas spokesman told journalists Sunday.
"A group of Palestinian policemen surrounded Mr. Rantisi's house and arrested him without explanation," the spokesman said.
Hamas spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, deplored the arrest, saying he did not know the reason for it.
A police official confirmed that Rantisi had been detained, and accused him of "spreading false accusations against the Palestinian Authority in statements to the press."
Rantisi strongly criticized the Palestinian Authority of Yasser Arafat during a debate last weekend on an Arab satellite television station.
Rantisi was released earlier this year after spending nearly 20 months in a Palestinian jail without trial - GAZA CITY (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
