Palestinian scholar assassinated in Malaysia; Family Blames Mossad

CAIRO – 21 April 2018: A Palestinian scholar, Fadi al-Batash, was ambushed and shot on Saturday morning by two unidentified motorcyclists in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, reported Palestinian news websites. The Palestinian scholar was killed while heading to the mosque to perform the Morning Prayer.

The unidentified assailants waited about 20 minutes for Batash outside the mosque. They shot more than 10 bullets at Batash, who was left with bullet wounds in his head and upper body. The assailants then escaped the scene, as per Palestinian sources in Malaysia who quoted the police chief.

Batash’s family and Islamic Jihad senior leader, Khaled al-Batash accused Mossad of being behind the assassination, according to Palestinian news sources.

They demanded that the Malaysian authorities conduct a comprehensive and rapid investigation before the assassins flee the country.

Batash’s family said that he was supposed to fly from Malaysia to Turkey on Sunday for a science conference on energy. He is married with three kids.

Batash is a former resident of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, and has been working in Malaysia over the past fw years as a lecturer at a private university and was the imam of a mosque in the city, according to the news agency SPA. He is also involved with Islamic organizations.