Tension prevailed over the Ain al-Helweh refugee camp on Thursday morning, after Mohammad Barakat opened fire at a Palestinian national identified as Khaled Alaeddinm, said to be linked to Osbat al-Ansar, an al-Qaeda affiliate.
Khaled Alaeddin, who is also known as Khaled al-Khoumeini, suffered several gunshot wounds to the back, and was transported to the camp’s al-Nidaa al-Insani Hospital for treatment, according to the state-run Nationals News Agency.
Ain el Helweh, a Palestinian refugee camp located on the outskirts of the southern city of Sidon, has become a gathering place to a number of Islamist cells that include Palestinians from inside the camp and people of various nationalities who have been arriving in the camp since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis.
The camp, which is home for at least 61,000 Palestinian refugees including around 6,000 who recently fled the war in Syria, has long been a hub for outlaws and extremist groups with violent outbursts flaring up.