Israeli troops kill Sudanese man who sneaked across border

Jun 30, 2006 (JERUSALEM) — Israeli troops on Friday shot dead a Sudanese man who tried to flee an army patrol after illegally crossing the border from Egypt, the military said.

An army spokeswoman said the man was one of several people in a vehicle spotted near the frontier in the Negev desert before dawn. She said he ran from the soldiers and when he ignored calls to halt they shot at his legs and he later died in the hospital of his injuries.

The porous border is regularly used by smugglers dealing in drugs, arms, women for the Israeli vice trade and migrant workers.

Haaretz newspaper said on its Web site that the dead man was one of 10 Sudanese refugees in the suspect vehicle, along with three Russian women and three Palestinians from Gaza. The army said the occupants were taken into custody.

(ST/AP)