JEWS RELEASE CAPTIVES

Chronicle (Levin), 11 June 1947, Page 5

JEWS RELEASE CAPTIVES

Press Assn.

Arrests Follow Kidnapping Of British Poiicemen

By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Wednesday. 10.25 a.m. JERUSALEM, June 10. A military patrol today found the kidnapped British poiicemen near Tel Aviv. They were near the Polish Jewish colony of Kiriat £}haul. This is the spot where Judge Windham, whom Irgun Zvai Leumi, abducted in January, was Uberated. Irgun Zvai Leumi is reported ta have claimed that they released the poiicemen after recehnng an unojfieial assurance that none of the Irgun Zvai Leumi terrorists under arrest would be executed. Brtish Army officers denied knowledge of any such assurance. The Government announced that the kidnapped poiicemen were still wearing bathing trunks when released. They said they had escaped by themselves, but it is officially stated that they were freed after troops of the third battalion of the Grenadier Guards, during a routine search, had cordoned the Polish Jewish colony at Kiriat Shaul, a suburb of Tel Aviv, at noon. Twenty minutes later the men walked out into the centre o 1 the cordon towards the troops. Troops with police are still searching the area. They have made a number of arrests. The kidnapped men were Sergeant E. F. Hackett, of London, anc Constable P. C. Ward, of Dublin. The two poiicemen were kidnapped at Ramatgan, a Jewish town near Tel Aviv yesterday. Four Jews including a woman, armed with tommyguns, held up a crowd in a swimming pool at Ramatgan. They seized the sergeant and a constable and carried them off in a motor car. One policeman resisted and was stunned by a blow on the head. The kidnapped poiicemen weie bathing when the arined 111011 entered the swimming baths, and they wero takou away in their bathing suits. The men threw a small bornb into the water and sliglitly wounded a woman bather. The kidnappers used smoke bombs during their retreat. The kidnapping oecurred a few hours after the advanee party of the United Nations Commission arrived in Jerusalem. and .-0011 after the Ilaganah had issued an appeal to terrorists uot to create an atmosphere wliieh might prejudice the Jewisli ease before the Conimission. it is reliably reported that the Ilaganah lias ordered its "striking forces" to seek out and arrest the men who kidnapped the poiicemen and to return the victims safely. It is recalled that the Ilaganah deseribed the previous Irgun Zvai haumi kidnappings as stabs in the baek against the Jewish interest. It is ufficially stated that police with dogs and soldiers, with mine dvtectors, found -a caehe of arms, 200 sticks oi gelignito, several slabs of T.N.T. and (letonators in the Oriental quarter ot Jerusalem. The police were searching a house in front of which a taxi was found abandoned after seven armed men held up a transport company and stole £400. The Palestine Arai) Iligher Organisation has decided to bovcott the United Nations ('ommission 011 Palestine. It also decided to call a general strike in Palestine 011 June 1(5 — the day the comnussion is due to begin its work. The organisation said that the commission was "a new instrument for giv ing Britain another sort of mandate." A eommunique said that the Palestine Arabs insisted that J-ewish immigration and the British mandate sliould be ended and an Arab Government eslablislied in Palestine. Arrests at Aleppo. Police at Aleppo arrested four sold iers, alleged to Ije British otlicers who deserted their units 111 Palestine after killing a Jewish terrorist in revenge for the diuvth of a comrade, says the British United Press correspondent at Damaseus. Pending investigation, Byria is re ported to havo refused a British de mand for the extradition of the four, men. Svria recently decided to give asylum to deserters from foreign ann ies exeept those accused of crimes. It is offieiallv stated that two Arai) notables, Mahmoml Salam-eh Azzih and ITaj Mahmoml Azzih, were kiilcd to night by three unidentified armed men while driving in a car near Hebron.