Beaten While Carrying The Body Of Al Jazeera Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, This Palestinian Man Was Even Arrested By Israeli Police

Residents carrying the coffin of Shireen Abu Akleh. (Wikimedia Commons/Osps7)

JAKARTA - Israeli police have arrested a Palestinian carrying a body who was beaten at the funeral of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the man's lawyer said.

Israeli police arrested one of the Palestinian pallbearers who was beaten by officers at the funeral of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the lawyer for the detained man said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a police spokesman confirmed the arrest of the man later identified as Amro Abu Khdair, but said it was not related to Friday's funeral. However, he also refused to give the reason for the man's arrest.

Images of Israeli officers wielding batons beating pallbearers, who at one point nearly dropped the coffin of Al Jazeera journalist Abu Akleh, drew widespread international condemnation, adding to outrage over the reporter's killing in an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11.

Abu Khdair's lawyer, Khaldoon Nijm, said his client was arrested on Monday, without disclosing the charges and based on information from Israel's domestic security services.

He said Abu Khdair later told him he was being questioned about the funeral.

Meanwhile, a police official said any connection made to the funeral would be considered a 'cheap conspiracy'. Abu Khdair's detention has been extended to Sunday, police and Nijm said.

A second body bearer, who asked not to be named, told Reuters he had been questioned by police although he was not arrested.

Earlier, Israel's Minister of Homeland Security Omer Barlev said on Saturday he and the police commissioner had appointed a panel to conduct a "comprehensive investigation of what happened during the funeral, to take lessons from the event".

Separately, Israel is conducting an investigation into Abu Akleh's death. Palestinian authorities are also investigating his murder.

It is known, Palestinians accused Israeli troops of killing him. However, Israel has denied targeting the correspondent, saying he may have been shot accidentally by a soldier or a Palestinian gunman as they exchanged fire in Jenin.