Israeli soldier arrested in shooting

JERUSALEM, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The Israeli army has arrested a soldier for shooting and seriously wounding a British activist in April, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday.

The Israeli soldier, whose name was not released, was brought before a military court, the IDF said.

Tom Hurndall, 22, an activist with the Palestinian-led International Solidarity Movement, was shot in the head in Rafah April 11. He remains in a vegetative state in a London hospital, CNN reported.

The soldier who shot him "originally said he returned fire at a man armed with a pistol," the IDF statement said.

"However, following an intensive investigation" by military police, the soldier "admitted to shooting in proximity of an unarmed civilian in order to deter him," the statement said. "The criminal investigation of the incident is still continuing."

The International Solidarity Movement said Hurndall was shot as he was trying to help a child move out of the path of Israeli soldiers.

Members of ISM have volunteered to act as "human shields" in the region, placing themselves between Israeli soldiers and suspected terrorists.