PA security detains Nablus municipal official

The Palestinian Authority preventive security service detained a Nablus municipal official from his home in the northern West Bank city late Monday night. Mayor of Nablus Adli Yaish confirmed that Ayman al-Rabba, the municipality’s engineer in charge of issuing construction licenses, had been arrested by PA forces. PA security officials declined to comment on the reason for al-Rabba's detention, saying that he was still under interrogation. The mayor told Ma'an that the arrest "is not related to any suspicions of financial misconduct, but rather to an administrative fault." He said the municipal council had previously investigated al-Rabba and found he had illegally issued a license to construct an additional floor to a building, thus moving him to another department. The preventative security service is ordinarily tasked with investigating suspected breaches of national security. In Nablus, as well as neighboring Jenin, Palestinian security services are going through an internal purge as officials vow to weed out corruption and illegality in their ranks. A number of security force members have been dismissed and administrative procedures have been taken against corrupt security officials, governor of Jenin Jibrin al-Bakri said Sunday.