Israel releases two Palestinian Authority officials arrested on suspicion from custody

Israel on Monday released two Palestinian Authority officials who were detained at the weekend, police said, but gave no further details on the case.

The two men who were taken into custody were Adnan Gheith, who holds the largely ceremonial post of Palestinian-appointed governor of Jerusalem, and Jihad Al-Faqeeh, the head of Palestinian intelligence in the city.

They were arrested on suspicion of aiding the abduction a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem, their lawyers said.

Gheith's lawyer, Mohammed Mahmoud, said his client was ordered to stay away from Jerusalem, remain in home detention for seven days and pay a 20,000 shekel ($5,500) fine.

The official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, said President Mahmoud Abbas had spoken by phone to both men following their release.

According to a report on Israel's Reshet 13 television, the Palestinian resident of Jerusalem abducted two weeks ago has both an Israeli identity card and U.S. citizenship.

He was wanted by the Palestinian Authority, the report said, for helping sell property in Jerusalem's Old City to Jewish buyers.

($1 = 3.6583 shekels) 

(With inputs from agencies.)