£14,000 OFFERED IN REWARDS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 221, 15 June 1936, Page 9

£14,000 OFFERED IN REWARDS

Police in Palestine

STERN ACTION AGAINST TERRORISM

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright,

(Received June 14, 6.30 p.m.)

Jerusalem, June 14

The police have offered a total of £14,000 in rewards for information leading to the arrest of the murderers of 23 Jews, three Arabs, Police Constable Bird and an Austrian, who have been killed since the outbreak of the disturbances. The reward in each case is £5OO.

Several districts are having disturbed nights, rifles and machine-guns being in action at eastern Esdraelon for the third night in succession. 'When marauders attacked several Jewish settlements troops replied with military aeroplanes, which flew over, illuminating the district. The Arabs retreated, carrying off their casualties. Twenty Arabs at Nablus ambushed a patrol of Seaforth Highlanders, who captured a wounded man. Sir Arthur Wauehope, the High Commissioner, has authorised regulations providing the death penalty or imprisonment for life for terrorism, including firing at troops, bomb-throwing with intent to cause death or injury, damage to property and interference with railways, roads, telephones and other communications. They also empower collective fines and confiscation of property where persons instigated such offences or had not assisted the authorities in discovering offenders. During a. disturbance near the Church of Nativity at Bethlehem a native constable fired, killing an Arab. The Jerusalem correspondent of “The Times” says a deputation from the higher Arab committee is going to London immediately with the intention of explaining the grounds for the present unrest to the British Government. Mr. Alan Sigrist, assistant police superintendent, was shot in the shoulder and admitted to hospital. Mr. Sigrist, who is a former Black and Tan officer, was returning from a tour of inspection with a British constable when Arabs, one of whom is a Government school teacher, emptied their automatics into his car, which fell 30 feet into a valley as Mr. Sigrist lost control of the wheel. The constable, though injured, returned the fire and wounded one assailant, who died in hospital. The others fled. The incident occurred near Herod’s gates on the Jericho Road, close to Gethsemane. Police troops pursued the unwounded assailants with tlie aid of police dogs, but a tannery obliterated the scent near the Mount of Olives. A bomb which was hurled at a train at Kalkilieh injured 18 Jews.