JERUSALEM, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli troops have arrested a Palestinian suspected of killing a soldier during a raid in his West Bank refugee camp last month, Israel's Shin Bet security agency said on Wednesday.
A statement released on behalf of the Shin Bet identified the suspect as Islam Yusuf Hamid, 32, a resident of the Am'ari refugee camp near Ramallah city.
On May 24, a large force of the Duvdevan Unit, a special operation force, arrived at the refugee camp to arrest residents allegedly involved in "terror acts," the military said after the incident.
One of the troops, identified as St.-Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky, was hit by a large marble slab thrown at him from the third floor of a building that the troops were surrounding.
The slab broke Lubarsky's helmet and injured his head. He was taken to a hospital in a critical condition and succumbed to his wounds two days later.
Israel launched a wide manhunt to find the perpetrator.
According to the Shin Bet, Hamid was detained after the agency's "intelligence indicated that he was suspected of having thrown the marble slab."
During his interrogation, "it became clear that Hamid had indeed thrown the slab in question from an adjacent building," said the Shin Bet.
Hamid has been under Israeli custody since last Wednesday but his arrest was kept under a court-issued gag order.
"Hamid's investigation is continuing," the Shin Bet said, adding that "all other details are subject to a gag order."
The incident came amidst escalating violence in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces have killed at least 122 Palestinians during the two-month-long protests near the fence separating between Israel and the besieged Palestinian enclave.
