Hamas detains Palestinian attorney general

GAZA CITY: Hamas detained the Palestinian attorney general in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the highest-ranking Palestinian Authority official to be detained by the Islamists ruling Gaza, witnesses said.

Members of Hamas's Executive Force detained Ahmed al-Mughani and his bodyguards after besieging his office in Gaza City and then driving off with the men, they said.

Mughani is close to Hamas's secular rival, the Fatah party headed by president Mahmud Abbas.

He is the highest official from the Palestinian Authority to be detained by the Islamists since they seized control of the Gaza Strip in a bloody takeover two months ago, overrunning security forces loyal to Abbas.