Palestinian accused rapist shot dead in custody

RAMALLAH - Masked gunmen shot dead an accused rapist on his way to court in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday in the latest sign of a growing Palestinian breakdown of law and order.

The shooting marked the second fatal attack in less than two months on detainees in the custody of Palestinian security forces.

Security sources said a group of gunmen attacked a car carrying Ramy Yaghmour and other detainees from the Palestinian special forces headquarters to court.

Security forces, banned by Israel from carrying guns as part of restrictions imposed during the past four years of Israeli-Palestinian violence, were unable to stop them.

Last month, gunmen shot dead two accused collaborators with Israel in their hospital beds in the Gaza Strip. The two were being treated for wounds from a grenade attack on their jail cell that also killed a third accused traitor.

Palestinians have faced unprecedented internal strife in recent months, stirred by militants complaining of corruption in the Palestinian government and security forces. The unrest poses the gravest challenge to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's rule since he returned from exile a decade ago. Palestinians say the unrest has been accelerated by Israeli army raids and closures that Israel says are to preempt militant attacks.

They say Israeli military actions have also crippled their security services - leaving them unable to act to stop a tide of lawlessness that has included a rise in kidnappings, killings and extortion in the Palestinians' conservative Muslim society, where rape has long been a taboo topic.