Palestinian gunmen abducted the Gaza Strip's police chief today after firing on his convoy.
The Jenin Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for kidnapping Mr Ghazi al-Jabali, saying the Palestinian Authority had ignored its demands for anti-corruption reforms.
Two of Mr Jabali's bodyguards were wounded and the rear window and tyres of a jeep blown out during what a Palestinian security man at the scene said had been a volley of bullets from more than 10 gunmen on Gaza's coastal road.
"We gave three years to the Palestinian Authority to carry out reforms. We waited a long time. But they didn't do anything. We are doing this in our way," Mr Abu Iyad, a spokesman for the brigades, said on Al-Jazeera satellite television.
"Ghazi Jabali was kidnapped to hold him accountable for his mistakes against our people."
The brigades, part of the Popular Resistance Committees, which include militants who had belonged to various factions, said Mr Jabali was being held in El Bureij refugee camp south of Gaza City.
A senior security official dispatched by Mr Yasser Arafat to the camp began negotiations for Mr Jabali's release.
Asked in the television interview if Mr Jabali's life was in danger, Abu Iyad said: "I cannot answer this question."
Mr Jabali, Gaza's police chief for most of the past 10 years since limited self-rule was established, has been the target of several attacks in the past by militant groups vying for influence in the Gaza Strip.