Archaeological site guard shot dead near Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, Jan 2 (AFP) - The body of an Israeli man guarding an archaeological site west of Jerusalem was found shot dead on Sunday, police said.
Police said they did not know if Palestinian militants were responsible for the killing of 66-year-old Vladimir Rubin at the Beit Guvrin site or if petty criminals were involved.
Beit Guvrin is close to Israel's border with the occupied West Bank.
The killing was claimed by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed group linked to the mainstream Palestinian Fatah faction, in a phone call to several media including AFP.

01/02/2005 18:58 GMT - AFP