Israel arrests radical Islamic cleric for inciting violence

JERUSALEM – Israeli police say they have arrested a radical Islamic cleric for inciting violence and involvement in an outlawed organization.

Police say Raed Salah, head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, was questioned on Tuesday for allegedly supporting and inciting violence and terrorism. Israel outlawed the group in 2015. He is to appear in court later in the day.

Salah completed a nine-month prison sentence in January for "incitement to violence" and "incitement to racism." He has had repeated run-ins with Israeli authorities and was previously imprisoned for funneling money to Hamas, the Islamic militant Palestinian group that rules the Gaza Strip.

Israel's Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan says Salah is "a danger to the public" for encouraging "radicalism and despicable acts of murder."