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Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh

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Palestinian engineer and academic (1983–2018)

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Dr. Fadi M. AlBatsh
Born1983
Gaza Strip
Died21 April 2018(2018-04-21) (aged 34–35)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
OccupationsEngineer, Researcher and Lecturer

Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh (Arabic: فادي محمد البطش) was a Palestinian engineer and academic. He was killed on 21 April 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, while heading to a mosque for dawn prayers.[1] After al-Batsh's death, Hamas's military wing claimed him as a member and described him as a commander.

Biography

While living in Gaza, he was employed by the Energy Authority and was a resident of the city of Jabalia. He received a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Malaya in 2015 and during the course of his study, published 18 scholarly pieces of research featured in a number of international journals. Al-Batash had been invited to complete his PhD via a scholarship program under the Khazanah Nasional, and had received an award from the then Prime Minister Najib Razak in recognition of his research.[2] Fadi was also an imam and involved with Islamic organizations such as MyCARE.[3]

Al-Batsh was a lecturer in electrical engineering at the Universiti Kuala Lumpur British-Malaysian-Institute (UniKL BMI).[4] He had been living in Malaysia since 2011.[5]

Assassination

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Assassination of Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh
Setapak is located in Peninsular Malaysia
Setapak
Setapak
Setapak (Peninsular Malaysia)
Map
Location3°12′34″N 101°42′35″E / 3.209477°N 101.709755°E / 3.209477; 101.709755
Setapak District, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date21 April 2018
TargetFadi Mohammad al-Batsh
PerpetratorMossad (suspected)
Assailants2 reported suspects
MotiveIsraeli–Palestinian conflict, Targeted killing by Israel

In the early morning hours of 21 April 2018, while walking to dawn prayers at the nearby Surau Medan Idaman mosque in the Setapak District of north eastern Kuala Lumpur, al-Batsh was shot dead by two gunmen outside his apartment at the Idaman Puteri condominium.[6][7] The assassins, who were later described as being of European appearance, fired 14 bullets at al-Batsh before escaping on a high powered BMW GS series motorbike.[8][9] The pair, who had been lying in wait for around 20 minutes, dumped the motorbike about a kilometer away at a lake beside the Setapak Central Mall[10] then switched to a van waiting a short distance away, before fleeing across the Malaysia–Thailand border via an illegal crossing point. Investigations by the Royal Malaysia Police determined the suspects had originally entered Malaysia two months previously on false passports issued by Serbia and Montenegro.[11][12] Police were also able to capture an image of one of the suspects from where the motorbike was abandoned beside Danau Kota lake, which was released to the public.[13]

Reactions

After al-Batsh's death, Hamas's military wing claimed him as a member and described him as a commander.[14]

Al-Batsh's family accused Mossad of being responsible for the killing. Israel denied any involvement in the assassination.[5][15] Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh called his killing a "terrible crime" and attributed it to Mossad.[4]

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman described al-Batsh as "no saint and he didn’t deal with improving infrastructure in Gaza. He was engaged in the production of rockets, in improving rockets’ accuracy... We constantly see a settling of accounts between various factions in the terrorist organizations and I suppose that is what happened in this case."[16][14]

Shortly after his death, the New York Times published an article claiming Mossad director Yossi Cohen ordered al-Batsh’s assassination as part of a wide ranging operation against Hamas members being sent abroad for technical training and the sourcing of weapons.[17][18]

Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Fadi was "believed to have become a liability for a country hostile to Palestine".[19]

Humanitarian Care Malaysia (MyCARE) chairman Associate Professor Dr Hafidzi Mohd Noor said Fadi was an expert in renewable energy sources, especially in regards to generator engineering. "We don’t deny the possibility that his achievements and his capabilities had perhaps made him a target for Israeli Zionists. In fact, before this he had mentioned his worry that he would be attacked by Apache helicopter gunships back in Palestine, and mentioned that 18 members of his extended family had been killed in Gaza in 2009 alone."[20]

Personal life

Fadi was married and had three children.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Palestinian professor killed in Malaysia, family accuses Israeli agency". Al Arabiya English. AFP. 21 April 2018. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Palestinian Academic 'killed by Mossad' in Malaysia, says family". Arab News. 21 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Islamic Jihad: Israel behind killing of Hamas-affiliated engineer in Malaysia". i24News. 21 April 2018. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b Levy, Elior (21 April 2018). "Palestinian electrical engineer shot dead in Malaysia". Ynet. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Fadi al-Batsh killing: Israel dismisses involvement". BBC News. 22 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Gunmen shoot dead Palestinian lecturer in Malaysia". Reuters. 21 April 2018. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Malaysian police release photo of suspect in killing of Hamas rocket expert". Times of Israel. 25 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Palestinian 'assassination': Malaysia releases images of suspects". Middle East Eye. 23 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Killers who gunned down Palestinian lecturer waited for 20-minutes for him to appear". New Straits Times. 21 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Suspects in 'professional' killing of Palestinian lecturer still in Malaysia, police say". South China Morning Post. 25 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Assassins involved in murder of Palestinian in Kuala Lumpur fled in van after shooting: Police". The Straits Times. 5 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Trail for two suspects behind Palestinian's murder goes cold?". Malaysiakini. 10 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Bukit Aman release actual photo of suspect in Dr Fadi's murder". New Straits Times. 25 April 2018.
  14. ^ a b Boxerman, Aaron (22 January 2022). "Hamas claims to nab Palestinian who aided alleged 2018 Mossad hit in Malaysia". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Malaysia releases photo of suspect in Palestinian's killing". Al Jazeera. 25 April 2022. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Israel dismisses suggestions it killed Palestinian in Malaysia". Reuters. 22 April 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Malaysian hit said part of broad Mossad op against Hamas global training efforts". Times of Israel. 26 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Behind a Roadside Hit in Malaysia, Israeli-Palestinian Intrigue". New York Times. 26 April 2018. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  19. ^ "Family accuses Israel's Mossad of killing Palestinian in Malaysia". Yahoo!. AFP. 22 April 2018. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  20. ^ Bahaudin, Nurul Hidayah (22 April 2018). "Palestinian lecturer killed in Setapak was no rocket, drone maker". Retrieved 14 July 2024.
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