Jordanian protesters shout slogans across the street from the Israeli embassy and demand the deportation of the Israeli ambassador after the killing of Jordanian judge Raed Zueter, 38, at Allenby crossing between Jordan and the West Bank, in Amman, Jordan, Monday, March 10, 2014 (Photo: AP)
A Jordanian-Palestinian judge who was shot dead by Israeli troops at the Jordan border tried to snatch a weapon and "strangle" a soldier, a preliminary army investigation showed on Tuesday.
The incident occurred Monday when troops opened fire at the Allenby Bridge border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, killing a Palestinian with Jordanian citizenship, claiming he had tried to snatch a weapon from a soldier.
But Palestinian witnesses said the man was shot following an argument over a cigarette in an incident which prompted a furious response from the Palestinian Authority and Amman.
In a statement, the military said it had conducted a "comprehensive investigation" which included extensive questioning of witnesses by security personnel.
They said the man, identified by the Palestinians as 38-year-old Raed Zeiter, had first charged at the soldiers with a metal pole, prompting them to fire at his legs.
When he began strangling a soldier they shot him dead.
"The preliminary conclusion of the investigation indicates that the terrorist attacked the soldier. He charged at the soldiers shouting 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) with a metal pole, and then attempted to seize the soldier's weapon prompting the soldiers to respond by firing towards his lower extremities," it said.
"The suspect then began to strangle a soldier and the force resorted to using live fire once again."
It said the investigation, which is being handled by the military police, was ongoing.
A Jordanian security official confirmed to AFP that Zeiter worked as a judge in Amman. Jordan's justice ministry said he worked at a magistrates court in the capital.
Several hours after Zeiter's death, troops shot dead a 20-year-old Palestinian near the West Bank city of Ramallah. The army said he had been throwing stones at soldiers.
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