A British activist was detained by armed Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday before being handed over to Israeli police TurkicWorld reports via ArabNews
The activist, identified by Israeli media as Finn Joughin, was in the Palestinian village of Umm Al-Kheir in Masafer Yatta as part of a “protective presence” initiative intended to support Palestinian residents amid settler attacks.
Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that settlers “abducted a foreign activist” from Umm Al-Kheir and took him to an Israeli outpost established on Palestinian land.
It said Israeli police subsequently detained the activist and took him to an undisclosed location.
Nadav Weiman of the Israeli group Breaking the Silence also accused the settlers of kidnapping Joughin, saying: “Children of settlers from the outpost stole a ball from Palestinian children [in Umm al-Khair] and then called armed adults [to the scene], and they kidnapped the activist.”
Israeli police, however, said Joughin was detained by the head of a security squad from a settlement near Ma’on “on suspicion of performing an indecent act against a minor.”
“The suspect has been transferred to interrogation, which is still in its beginning,” police told The Times of Israel.
The incident came amid several reported settler attacks across the occupied West Bank on Saturday.
