The militant Islamic Jihad said Friday it will not attack American targets to retaliate for the U.S. arrest of four alleged members and the indictment of four others on terrorism-related charges. Abdallah Shami, the Gaza leader of the Palestinian group, condemned the arrests but said Islamic Jihad will continue to focus on its fight against Israel. “We are not going to open any new fronts,” Shami said. Earlier Friday, Israeli troops killed two Islamic Jihad members who attacked a Jewish settlement and an army post in Gaza. In the West Bank, near the town of Tulkarem, Israeli soldiers shot and killed an unidentified Palestinian who they said was running toward an army checkpoint and failed to stop after repeated calls and warning shots, an army spokeswoman said. A 50-count indictment was unsealed Thursday in Washington against eight alleged members of Islamic Jihad, including computer engineering professor Sami Al-Arian, the alleged U.S. leader of the group who is on paid leave from the University of South Florida. Four of the eight, including Al-Arian, were arrested in the United States. Four others are abroad, including Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shallah, who is in Damascus, and Abd Al Aziz Awda, 52, a founder of the group, who lives in the Gaza town of Beit Lahia. Full Story
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