Abbas close shave in Gaza gunbattle

‘‘It was not an assassination attempt,’’ Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, later said in his Gaza City office. ‘‘Emotions were high. There was random gunfire and pushing in the crowd.’’

The chaos erupted after gunmen from Arafat’s faction-ridden Fatah movement shouting ‘‘No to Abu Mazen’’ walked by Abbas as he stood outside the tent and began firing shots into the air. The rifles were pointed upwards, and not at Abu Mazen, as they fired more bursts, witnesses said.

Members of Arafat’s Presidential Guard hustled Abbas, 69, into the tent and threw him to the ground for his safety as the militants burst in. Chaos ensued as gunmen and bodyguards began shooting at each other. At the end of the clash one bodyguard lay dead from a head wound.

Medics later said another bodyguard was killed and four people were wounded. Witnesses said the gunmen withdrew and no arrests were made.

Abbas was on a visit to accept condolences for the death of Arafat. A critic of violence in a four-year Palestinian uprising, Abbas has been chosen as chairman of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, one of the posts held by Arafat. ‘‘The exchange of fire was the result of friction between bodyguards and armed men. This is the whole story,’’ said Tawfiq Tirawi, head of Palestinian Intelligence. —Reuters