Embassy attack
August 18, 2010
A Palestinian man is in the custody of Israeli authorities after breaking into the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv and attempting to take a diplomat hostage on Tuesday evening. Nadim Injaz was reportedly seeking asylum and was armed with a knife, a gasoline can, and what turned out to be a toy gun.
Security forces at the Turkish embassy overpowered Injaz, who sustained a minor gunshot wound to the leg in the incident.
It is believed Injaz is from the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Not the first time
Media reports indicate that Injaz is the same person who broke into the British embassy in Tel Aviv in 2006 and threatened to commit suicide if he was not granted asylum. He was released from an Israeli jail two weeks ago after serving four years for that incident.
On Wednesday, a lawyer for Injaz issued a statement saying his client was seeking asylum in order to protect himself from the Palestinian Authority, who wanted him because he is a former member of Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency.
However, Shin Bet denies that Injaz ever worked for them.
The incident did not appear to be directly related to recently rising tensions between Turkey and Israel, which resulted after an Israeli raid on a Turkish aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip that left nine people dead.
Author: Matt Zuvela (AP/Reuters/AFP)
Editor: Rob Turner