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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| British police halted Almog arrest |
| 2008-02-20 |
| British police halted their attempt to arrest a former Israeli general on war crimes charges following his arrival at London's Heathrow Airport in 2005, fearing an armed confrontation, according to a BBC report on Tuesday. Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, former OC Southern Command, evaded arrest by heeding a warning not to disembark from an El Al flight in September 2005. British detectives were waiting to arrest him for allegedly ordering the demolition of Palestinian homes in Gaza in 2002. The BBC claimed to have seen documents revealing that police were concerned about a clash with Israeli air marshals on the plane and thus Almog was able to return home. According to the BBC, documents show that the senior counter-terrorism officer responsible for the operation could not get confirmation that his team had the right to board the plane, and allegedly El Al refused them permission. "Another consideration was that El Al flights carried armed air marshals, which raised issues around public safety," explained Detective Supt. John MacBrayne, the head of the operation. "There was also no intelligence as to whether Almog would have been travelling with personal security as befitted his status, armed or otherwise." MacBrayne concluded there were "real risks" to the police and to the public and he was concerned about the "international impact of a potentially armed police operation at an airport." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 Palestinian campaigners have filed private criminal complaints of "war crimes" against Israel military personnel by using a loophole in Britain's Universal Jurisdiction Legislation, since the law does not require the "war criminals" to be citizens of Britain and the alleged crimes did not have to be committed on British soil. London law firm Hickman and Rose, led by Israeli-born lawyer Daniel Machover, has been able to successfully exploit the law. So, if they scoop him, who puts him on trial? The Brits? The ICC? "Palestine"? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-20 13:13 |
| #3 Almog, former OC Southern Command, evaded arrest by heeding a warning not to disembark from an El Al flight in September 2005" Seems like a good result all round: British police were ready to arrest him - which would have resulted in a hugely embarrassing diplomatic situation with potentially years of fall-out (think the Pinochet stupidity) - but he conveniently got tipped off to stay on the plane and, for good measure the officer responsible, no doubt accompanied by full-time airport police, conveniently if improbably 'could not get confirmation that his team had the right to board the plane'. Makes the police look daft but that;s a small price to pay. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2008-02-20 13:09 |
| #2 Not an enviable position, I dunno, Quit probably, simple refusal will get him fired anyway. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-02-20 11:52 |
| #1 What does a good cop do when he gets orders indicating his superiors are insane? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-02-20 07:55 |