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A Palestinian inspects the damaged American International School in Gaza on Thursday. (Reuters)
Last update - 21:57 12/01/2008
Leaflets of Al-Qaida-affiliate found in looted American school in Gaza
By The Associated Press
Tags: American International School 

Leaflets signed by a previously unknown group claiming affiliation with Al-Qaida were found in the American school that was vandalized in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

Gunmen smashed windows, burned buses and looted computers at the private American school in an attack that officials believed was linked to U.S. President George W. Bush's recent visit to the West Bank.

The leaflets found around the school were signed "Army of Believers." The group didn't specifically claim responsibility for the attack, but vowed to target "dens of vice and corruption," naming a number of restaurants in Gaza City.
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Also in Gaza Saturday, a man carrying nine pounds of TNT tried to attack a Hamas rally attended by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Saturday's attack on the American International School was the second in 48 hours. On Thursday, just before Bush arrived in the West Bank, gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the school.

In a claim made to local media on Thursday, a separate unknown group, The Holy Jihad Brigades, said it was behind the attack that day.

Early Saturday, gunmen locked the school's unarmed guard into a room, burned six school buses, and smashed windows and computers, said principal Ribhi Salim. The vandalism left one side of the building scarred with black smoke.

"This is terrorism against education," Salim said, while inspecting damage. He said that Islamic fundamentalists deem the school's co-ed system, and modern uniform, as offensive.

There is no evidence that Al-Qaida has been operating in Gaza, but many Islamic extremists in the area have adopted the group's language and style recently. The Hamas rulers of Gaza deny charges by Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Al-Qaida operates quietly from the coastal territory.

Vandals have repeatedly targeted the school in the past for its perceived U.S. link.

The private school in northern Gaza holds classes in English for 400 students and uses a U.S.-style curriculum but has no ties to the U.S. government. Salim said the school would not close.

Ihab Ghussein, a spokesman for the Hamas-led Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip condemned the attacks and said he believed they were related to Bush's recent visit.

Abbas' office condemned the attack in a statement and implicated Hamas gangs.

Hamas rules the Gaza Strip after wresting control of the territory from forces allied with Abbas' Fatah Party in June. In response to Hamas' seizure of Gaza, Abbas threw Hamas out of a unity government and his administration rules over only the West Bank.

Tensions between Hamas and Fatah appeared to be on the rise again in Gaza on Saturday. In separate incidents, a man tried to bomb a Hamas rally, a roadside bomb injured three Hamas policemen and a Hamas policeman was found riddled with bullets.

"There are indications that attempts are under way to renew chaos and lawlessness in Gaza," Ghussein said.

It was not immediately clear if Haniyeh, who was present at the Hamas rally, was the target of the attempted bombing or if the suspect had ties to Fatah. Hamas forces arrested the man after the TNT were was in his backpack, Ghussein said.


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      1.   A Mosad provocation, no doubt 13:01  |  The Clickfool of UK 12/01/08
      2.   Must be because they were not teaching martyrdom 13:01  |  Marabu 12/01/08
      3.   Dutch baby, what is it going to be this time? 13:02  |  Figaro 12/01/08
      4.   Natallie Durson sermod to follow soon, stay tuned! 13:03  |  Shmueli 12/01/08
      5.   vandals smash, loot American Private School 13:24  |  bill usa 12/01/08
      6.   these are the peace makers beloved by bush ? 13:25  |  victor hardman 12/01/08
      7.   Economy, education and law and order in Gaza 13:33  |  Moti 12/01/08
      8.   obvious proof of a existing stupidity gene in Gaza, difficult to 14:07  |  RJ 12/01/08
      9.   #1 14:13  |  in reality 12/01/08
      10.   #1 14:13  |  in reality 12/01/08
      11.   So, what is Hamas good for? Keeping order?? "Condemnation"??? 14:15  |  S 12/01/08
      12.   TO NO 4 NATTALIE INDREDURSON. 14:21  |  DANNY. 12/01/08
      13.   You must be right #8 & #9, pure 100% logic like never before 14:21  |  The Clickfool of UK 12/01/08
      14.   How pointless and how sad 15:43  |  Lynn 12/01/08
      15.   Pals in Gaza prefer CHAOS. They don`t deserve Statehood.......... 16:01  |  Vittorio 12/01/08
      16.   Easy to destroy what good-hearted people have paid for 16:15  |  AliciaYasmeen 12/01/08
      17.   Bad Month to be a Palestinian Arab 16:52  |  Reader 12/01/08
      18.   Good Stuff Palestinians! 17:00  |  Ruth 12/01/08
      19.   Victor 6, Where Would You Send the Palestinian Arabs? 17:02  |  Reader 12/01/08
      20.   WHy are people acting surprised? 17:14  |  Nik Miller 12/01/08
      21.   Vittorio, you Might be right. 17:17  |  Reader 12/01/08
      22.   Alicia, What Humanitarian Aim was Served... 17:24  |  Reader 12/01/08
      23.   #19 reader refer to mandate 1922 17:25  |  victor hardman 12/01/08
      24.   Oxymoron 17:34  |  leo 12/01/08
      25.   #22 Reader: the answer lies in "who" were they, doing "what"? 18:22  |  AliciaYasmeen 12/01/08
      26.   # 22, READER 18:22  |  DAN 12/01/08
      27.   Bush diplomacy is working 18:24  |  Frank 12/01/08
      28.   Typical Pal State-Building 18:30  |  RF 12/01/08
      29.   The devil made us do it 18:59  |  Denise Thompson 12/01/08
      30.   PAL TERROR AGAINST PALS 19:00  |  Iskander 12/01/08
      31.   Do not rebuild the school, they do not deserve it. 19:25  |  Efox 12/01/08
      32.   Did somebody speak about single state solution? 20:05  |  Just Cause 12/01/08
      33.   And they blame others 21:02  |  KUTW 12/01/08
      34.   Reader of Edmonton...doesn`t change anything 21:07  |  Lynn #22 12/01/08
      35.   Week-end party 21:17  |  Salomon Mizrahi 12/01/08
      36.   #5 A constructive post on Talkback! 21:29  |  Aphemia 12/01/08
      37.   #33 Lynn 21:32  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 12/01/08
      38.   nik miller 20 21:35  |  realism 12/01/08
      39.   ...........Will they ever learn.... ?? 22:10  |  Stephen. 12/01/08
      40.   To all gloating posters: what is the point? 22:17  |  hala 12/01/08
      41.   # 37 Margie....An AL Qaeda inspired group? 22:18  |  Lynn 12/01/08
      42.   bill of usa...run by the UN 22:33  |  Lynn 12/01/08
      43.   #22 reader 23:01  |  danny 12/01/08
      44.   #5 bill usa 23:12  |  `danny 12/01/08
      45.   victor hardman 23 23:26  |  realism 12/01/08
      46.   Silly to try to distinguish Hamas from Al Queda 23:46  |  Voice of Reason 12/01/08
      47.   40m, hala..errrrr..... 00:33  |  doorson 13/01/08
      48.   realism 00:42  |  ChanahS 13/01/08
      49.   hala 40 00:45  |  ChanahS 13/01/08
      50.   The School`s Sin 01:11  |  Mark of Lewiston 13/01/08
      51.   #49 criminals in a law and order society 03:10  |  hala 13/01/08
      52.   chanahs 48 03:49  |  realism 13/01/08
      53.   Zionism is Racism. It simple can`t be otherwise. 04:24  |  Reader 13/01/08
      54.   Hala...YOUR INTENTIONS ARE GOOD BUT MISGUIDED SADLY 10:15  |  Elizabeth 13/01/08
      55.   vandals don`t act responsibly, reader 11:43  |  arthur 13/01/08
      56.   zionism isn`t racism, reader is simplistic 12:04  |  arthur 13/01/08
      57.   Great! Now let`s give them their own country. they deserve it! 12:13  |  don 13/01/08
      58.   okie dokie, Now WE know that they destroyed the school and 14:54  |  Elizabeth 13/01/08
      59.   Who said that Jew Barenboim is Peace loving? 20:31  |  Genuine Tosefta 13/01/08
      60.   #54 Elizabeth of best of two worlds 01:38  |  hala 14/01/08
      61.   Gloating hala? 01:54  |  MaryRose 14/01/08
      62.   Okay, what did I miss? 02:00  |  MaryRose 14/01/08
      63.   Surprised Nik? Not I, not after.... 02:17  |  MaryRose 14/01/08
      64.   Re #22 02:21  |  MaryRose 14/01/08
      65.   Re #29 Amen Denise... 02:32  |  MaryRose 14/01/08
      66.   #50 So Golda was right... 02:41  |  MaryRose 14/01/08
      67.   What really happened hala? Please, educate me... 02:48  |  MaryRose 14/01/08
      68.   #61 mary rose and "gloating" 04:29  |  hala 14/01/08
      69.   #67 MaryRose, please read the works of Herzl and Jabotinsky 04:37  |  hala 14/01/08
      70.   #66 Goldie Mabovitch 04:42  |  hala 14/01/08
      71.