Palestinians start trial over U.S. convoy killings

[Praline]

By The Associated Press


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The four men, who appeared before a military court in Gaza City on Saturday, are accused of planting roadside bombs on a main highway leading into the Gaza Strip from the Erez crossing point with Israel.

A military prosecutor said those bombs were intended to target Israeli tanks entering the Strip, but one of the explosives may have been to blame for the October 15 blast that ripped apart a U.S. diplomatic car, killing three American security guards.

But in the days after the attack, Palestinian and U.S. investigators also found evidence indicating that the bomb was detonated by someone who watched the U.S. convoy passing from a nearby hiding place. A wire found in the road after the blast was attached to a remote control device in a nearby shack.

U.S. officials have been pressing the Palestinians to find those behind the attack and have repeatedly said they are disappointed with the level of cooperation from Palestinian police. Recently U.S. officials have warned Palestinian authorities that some U.S. aid programs could be scaled back or canceled if there is no progress in the probe.

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