The intelligence officials said that Hamas, in recent years, had begun seeing the country as an ideal place to incubate its research ambitions. Mr. Batsh won scholarships from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, the first Arab to earn such an honor. Mr. Batsh told friends in Malaysia that he had narrowly avoided an attempt on his life while still living in Gaza. On the day he was killed, Mr. Batsh was supposed to travel to Istanbul to attend an academic conference. Western and Middle Eastern intelligence officials said that Mr. Batsh may have been involved in negotiating North Korean arms deals through Malaysia.

Source: New York Times April 25, 2018 23:37 UTC