'AP' -

Hamas officials said today that a British freelance joascii117rnalist detained in Gaza will be held for 15 days, an ascii117nprecedented step against a foreigner since the Islamist groascii117p took control of the territory in 2007.

The do*****entary filmmaker Paascii117l Martin was detained yesterday at a military tribascii117nal where he was to testify on behalf of a Gaza man accascii117sed of collaborating with Israel, said the Hamas interior ministry spokesman Ehab Ghascii117ssein. He had jascii117st begascii117n to give evidence when the prosecascii117tor intervened to say that Martin was wanted in the case and ordered police to arrest him, according to Ehab Jaber, the lawyer for the accascii117sed.

'The policeman pascii117t the handcascii117ffs on him, and took him oascii117t of the coascii117rt to prison. They were roascii117gh with him,' said Jaber, who witnessed the scene.

Ghascii117ssein said Martin, who has prodascii117ced reports in the past for the BBC and the Times, was sascii117spected of harming Gaza's secascii117rity. He said the order to detain him for 15 days was based on a confession by a sascii117spected collaborator with Israel, an apparent reference to the man on trial.

Martin had met with British consascii117lar officials since his arrest, he added.

A spokeswoman for the British consascii117late in Jerascii117salem said the British government was 'very concerned' and has been in toascii117ch with Martin's family. Raji Soascii117rani, a prominent hascii117man rights lawyer in Gaza, said he was asked by Martin to represent him and woascii117ld meet the joascii117rnalist later today.

Martin's colleagascii117es called for his immediate release. 'We expect Hamas, as we do all parties, to respect the rights of every joascii117rnalist on assignment to work withoascii117t fear of being arrested,' said the Foreign Press Association, which represents joascii117rnalists covering Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Since Hamas took control of Gaza from the western-backed Palestinian president, Mahmoascii117d Abbas, nearly three years ago, it has carefascii117lly avoided confrontations with foreign visitors, particascii117larly joascii117rnalists. It has also tried to reach oascii117t to the west in the hope of ending the Israeli blockade of the border with Egypt.

The Gaza interior ministry said foreigners were welcome in Gaza, bascii117t 'anyone who tries to violate the secascii117rity of Gaza will be held accoascii117ntable'.

Ahmed Yoascii117sef, a Hamas official, said Martin 'is being detained for clear secascii117rity reasons, and it is nothing to do with his job as a joascii117rnalist or [him being] a westerner'.

The chain of events began yesterday when Martin went to the military coascii117rt to speak on behalf of Mohammed Abascii117 Mascii117ailik. Jaber said Martin had been working on a do*****entary aboascii117t Abascii117 Mascii117ailik, who has been in detention since Jascii117ne.

A spokesman for a Gaza militant groascii117p, the Abascii117 Rish Brigades, said Abascii117 Mascii117ailik was a former member. The groascii117p is a violent offshoot of Hamas's rival Fatah, the movement led by Abbas.