The world Scout movement said Thursday it was investigating claims its Palestinian Authority branch held an event in support of a terrorist who murdered three Israelis on a bus last October.
An Arab Scout troop in eastern Jerusalem but tied to the movement’s PA branch is alleged to have held a training course dedicated to Baha Alyan, who along with Bilal Ghanem shot
and stabbed passengers on a Jerusalem bus, killing three.
Alyan was eliminated by a security guard in the midst of his murder spree, while Ghanem was arrested and later convicted of murder.
Early Thursday morning Israeli police transferred Alyan’s body to his family, who held a low-key funeral for the terrorist in eastern Jerusalem.
"We are definitely investigating and we hope to respond as soon as possible," Srinath Venugopal, executive director at the World Scout Bureau's office of the secretary general, told AFP.
"Due to the nature of the issue it takes a little time to establish the facts.
"Please be assured that the World Organisation of the Scout Movement is not supportive of any terrorist activities."
He said it was too early to speculate on potential punishments, though the family of one of the victim's has called for the Palestinian Scout Association to be expelled.
Micah Lakin Avni, whose 76-year-old father Richard Lakin died after being shot and then stabbed on the bus, said he was calling for the "complete removal" of the Palestinian Authority branch from the wider Scout movement.
"I am outraged," he told AFP. "To name a program after a cold-blooded murderer is outrageous.”
"The Scouts are a program all around the world teaching millions of people how to be good citizens and how to treat people with respect," he said. "This was not an isolated incident or a single leader, it is something that was decided by the leadership."
A spokesperson for the Palestinian Scout Association said they did not yet have a formal response.
There were over 33,000 registered members of the Palestinian Scout Association, according to the World Scout Bureau's 2014 census. It was only full voting rights in February.
AFP contributed to this report