Perhaps this is just a case of bad reporting, but note in the following that Hizb ut-Tahrir official Maher Al-Jibari is also described as a Palestinian Islamic Jihad press officer. Also note that he worked out of the Palestine Polytechnic University in Hebron, meaning he had academic cover to use internationally.
From Ma'an:
Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces opened fire on a car driven by an official in the pacifist Islamist movement Hizb Ut-Tahrir on Monday night, officials said.Posted on 23 December 2009 @ 14:54 GMTShots were fired at Maher Al-Jabari, one of Islamic Jihad's press officers, moments before he was arrested by PA security services near his office at the Palestine Polytechnic University in the West Bank city of Hebron.
In a statement about the incident, Hizb Ut-Tahrir said Al-Jabari was also assaulted during the arrest. He is now being held at an unknown location.
A PA security official told Ma’an that Al-Jabari failed to obey a police order to stop his car, and while trying to escape crashed his vehicle into three other cars.
The source, who insisted on anonymity, said PA officers fired in the air to force Al-Jabari to stop, he was then arrested and taken to a detention center. The official also noted that there was a standing order to arrest Al-Jabari on sight.
Last Thursday Hizb Ut-Tahrir reported that the PA surrounded Al-Jabari’s house in Hebron in a bid to arrest him, but then left the area without doing so.