Arafat kicks out fugitives to stave off attack

Yasser Arafat forced 20 fugitives hiding in his West Bank headquarters to leave early today, fearing the Israeli army would invade the complex to grab them, one of the fleeing fugitives said.

The fugitives, all members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, a militant group linked to Arafat’s Fatah faction, have been hiding from the army in Arafat’s Ramallah headquarters for months.