Assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
Encyclopedia
The assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, (February 14, 1961 – January 19, 2010) took place on January 19, 2010, in a Dubai
hotel room. Al-Mabhouh
—a co-founder of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
, the military wing of the Islamist Palestinian
militant group Hamas
—was wanted by the Israel
i government for the kidnapping and murder of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 as well as purchasing arms from Iran for use in Gaza; these have been cited as a possible motive for the assassination. He also had many other enemies including Fatah (whose members "loathed" him), Egypt had imprisoned him for all of 2003, and Jordan's intelligence services were looking for him.
His assassination attracted international attention in part due to allegations that it was ordered by the Israeli government and carried out by Mossad
agents holding fake or fraudulently obtained passports from several European countries and Australia.
The photographs of 26 suspects, and the names they used, have been placed on Interpol
's most-wanted list. According to Dubai's authorities, there are up to 29 suspects, 12 of whom carried British passports, six Irish, four French, one German, and four Australian, and another two Palestinians
who were arrested. Interpol and the Dubai police believe the suspects stole the identities of real people, mostly Israeli dual citizens. Two Palestinians, believed by Hamas to be former Fatah security officers and current employees of a senior Fatah official, were taken into custody in Dubai, on suspicions that one of them provided logistical assistance to the hit team. Despite Hamas's claim, Dubai would not comment on the incident or identify the two Palestinian suspects.
According to initial reports, al-Mabhouh was drugged, then electrocuted and suffocated. Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim
of the Dubai Police Force
said the suspects tracked al-Mabhouh to Dubai from Damascus
, Syria. They arrived from different European destinations and stayed at different hotels, presumably to avoid being detected and, with the exception of three of its members suspected of "helping to facilitate" who had left on a ferry for Iran several months before the assassination, departed after the assassination to different countries. Dubai's police chief said that he was "99% certain" that the assassination was the work of Israel's Mossad. On March 1, 2010, he stated that he was "sure" that all of the suspects are hiding in Israel. He has said that Dubai will ask for an arrest warrant to be issued for Meir Dagan
, the head of Mossad, if it is confirmed that the Mossad is involved and responsible for the assassination. The Hamas leadership also holds Israel responsible, and has vowed revenge. Hamas, which is itself on the US
and EU lists
of terrorist organizations (and also considered a terrorist organization by the governments of Israel
, and Japan
, as is its military arm by The United Kingdom
and Australia
), requested that Israel be added by the EU to its list because of suspicions that Israel was involved in the assassination. However, later in March, Dubai police chief said, "I am now completely sure that it was Mossad", and went on to say "I have presented the (Dubai) prosecutor with a request for the arrest of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the head of Mossad" for the assassination. and Khalfan would also suggest that Hamas fed information to the Mossad
On March 23, 2010, Britain's foreign secretary expelled an Israeli diplomat after the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency
turned up evidence that Israel had forged copies of British passports. On May 24, the Australian government expelled an Israeli diplomat after concluding that there was "'no doubt Israel was behind the forgery of four Australian passports" related to the assassination. Similar action was taken by Ireland. Israel has refused to comment on the accusations that its security forces were behind the assassination.
On September 30, 2010, Dubai's police chief Dahi Khalfan said he received death threats from Israel's spy agency Mossad
linked to his role in uncovering details of the assassination of Mabhouh.
On January 19, 2010, al-Mabhouh was assassinated in his room in a hotel in Dubai, after being tracked by at least 29 suspects (26 suspects whose passport photos have been released, 2 arrested Palestinians, and another unnamed suspect), 26 of whom carried forged or fraudulently-obtained passports from various European nations.
The Sunday Times
reported that al-Mabhouh's departure from Damascus to Dubai on Emirates Flight no. 912 at 10:05 a.m. on January 19, 2010 was tracked by an agent on the ground in Damascus. Salah Bardawil, a Hamas legislator, said al-Mabhouh put himself at risk by booking his trip online and informing family in Gaza of the telephone number of the hotel at which he would be staying on his trip. Though there were reports that al-Mabhouh traveled under a false passport with the fake name "Mahmoud Abdul Raouf Mohammed", Hamas and Dubai officials maintain that al-Mabhouh entered the country under his own identity at 3:15 p.m. Normally al-Mabhouh would have been protected by bodyguards, but their arrival was delayed because the guards could not get tickets for the same flight, as "There was no room for them on the flight," said Talal Nasser, a spokesman for Hamas in Damascus. "Therefore he traveled alone, and the security guards were slated to join him the next day," he resumed.
Dubai’s police chief, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, stated that Mabhouh was transiting in Dubai before traveling to China.
Upon arrival in Dubai, al-Mabhouh took a taxi to the Al Bustan Rotana
hotel and settled into room 230. He had asked for a room with no balcony and sealed windows, so as no one could enter other than through the door. He showered, changed, left documents in the safe, and then exited the hotel between 4:30 and 5 p.m, roughly an hour after first checking in.
Nevertheless, what he did during the next three to four hours remains unclear. Dubai’s police chief said he did not meet anyone in the emirate, and went shopping. Meanwhile, the hit squad broke into his room. At 8:24 p.m. al-Mabhouh came back to the room, and subsequently failed to answer a call from his wife half an hour later.
Hotel surveillance footage was released to the public showing the suspects, who had arrived on separate flights, meeting in the hotel. While the suspects apparently used personal encrypted communication devices among themselves to avoid surveillance, the suspects were alleged by Dubai police to have sent and received a number of SMS
messages to telephone numbers in Austria.
When al-Mabhouh arrived around 3 p.m., two of the suspects who were dressed in tennis attire followed him to determine which room he had checked into (which is No. 230), as well as the number of the room immediately across the hall (No. 237). The information is alleged by the Dubai police to have been communicated to a third party, who then telephoned from a different hotel to book room 237. According to surveillance videos, the individual who checked into 237 did not enter the room, but appears to have given the room key to an accomplice in the lobby of the hotel, and then to immediately have left Dubai, prior to the assassination. Al-Mabhouh, later, left the hotel and while several of the suspects kept watching, it is thought that (a) suspect(s) tried to gain entry to his room. One of the lookout suspects could be seen on video delaying a tourist who exits the elevator on the second floor at this time, apparently to give other team members time to act. While another suspect distracted the tourist, it is claimed that four suspects entered the victim’s hotel room and waited for him to return. The evidence for this is the fact that four men arrived by elevator and entered the hallway where the victim's room and the alleged perpetrator's rooms were located at this time, and the same four men immediately left after the assassination is supposed to have happened.
A readout of activity that took place on the hotel room's electronic door lock indicated that an attempt was made to reprogram al-Mabhouh’s electronic door lock at this time. The investigators believe that the electronic lock on al-Mabhouh’s door may have been reprogrammed and that the killers gained entry to his room this way The locks in question, VingCard Locklink brand (Dubai police video, 21:42), can be accessed and reprogrammed directly at the hotel room door.
According to Dubai Police
, he was dead by 9 p.m. that evening. On January 20, 2010, the following day, a hotel cleaner attempted to gain entry, but found that the door was latched from the inside. A member of hotel security was then called in to open the door. After the door was opened, al-Mabhouh's body was discovered. The body was lying in bed under the bedsheets, wearing only a pair of black shorts. On the drawer next to the bed, the assassins had placed a small bottle of medicine to make it appear as if he had died of natural causes.
The Khaleej Times
quoted an unnamed senior police official as saying that four masked assailants had shocked al-Mabhouh's legs before using a pillow to suffocate him. Another story reported by Uzi Mahnaimi
stated that a hit team murdered al-Mabhouh with a heart-attack inducing drug, then proceeded to take photographs of his documents before leaving.
Al-Mabhouh's family said that medical teams that examined his body determined that he died in his hotel room after being strangled and receiving a massive electric shock to the head, and that blood samples examined by a French laboratory confirms that electrocution was the cause of death. Dubai authorities stated they were ruling the death a homicide and were working with the International Criminal Police Organization
to investigate the incident.
Other news reports gave varying causes of death, including suffocation with a pillow and poisoning. In an international press conference General Tamim, the head of the investigation, said that the exact cause of death is yet to be concluded.
Moreover, on March 1, 2010, the Dubai Police stated that he was first drugged
Major General Khamis Mattar al-Mazeina as the deputy commander of Dubai's police gave details of the death of al Mabhouh after forensic tests. Al Mabhouh was injected in his leg with succinylcholine, a quick-acting, depolarizing paralytic muscle relaxant. It causes almost-instant loss of motor skills, but does not induce loss of consciousness or anaesthesia. Then al Mabhouh was suffocated. Al-Mazeina said, "The assassins used this method so that it would seem that his death was natural".
, the decision to kill al-Mabhouh was authorized by Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu
, after being suggested by Meir Dagan
, the head of the Mossad, at a meeting in early January 2010. Later in March, Dubai police chief said "I am now completely sure that it was Mossad," and furthermore went on to say "I have presented the (Dubai) prosecutor with a request for the arrest of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the head of Mossad," for the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
Dubai police said the assassins spent little time in the emirate, arriving less than a day before the assassination, killing al-Mabhouh between his arrival at 3:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. that night, and subsequently leaving the country before his discovery. The identities used by 11 of the suspects have been made public. Two members of the team flew to Paris, while others flew to Hong Kong and South Africa before doubling back to Europe. The total number of suspects stands at 18, all of whom entered the country using fake or fraudulently obtained passports. Dubai police, who have stated that their airport personnel are trained by Europeans to identify faked documents, said that the European passports used were not forgeries. British, Canadian, and Irish governments said the passports bearing their countries' names were, "either fraudulently obtained or [are] outright fakes." All the stolen passports are from countries that do not need visas for the UAE.
The names used on the UK passports belong to individuals who live in Israel and hold dual citizenships. An analysis of the assassination in The Jewish Chronicle
notes that this, "is the first real piece of information that could link Israel to the operation." Mossad is known to use the identities of Israelis with dual citizenship. In 1997, two Mossad agents traveled with Canadian passports of dual citizenship Israelis to Amman, Jordan in a botched attempt on the life of Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal. According to former katsa
Victor Ostrovsky
, a Canadian citizen, the Mossad formerly asked permission to use the passports of Israelis with dual nationality, but "I believe at some point, they stopped asking".
A Jerusalem-based British citizen whose name was used on one of the passports told Reuters
news agency that he has never been to Dubai and had no connection with the Mossad or the killing. He said that he did not "know how this happened or who chose my name or why". In addition, three other Israelis whose names appeared on the passports reported to the Israeli Channel 2
news that they did not understand the coincidence, and were not related at all to the suspects. In the wake of the revelation that passports of British citizens had figured prominently in the operation, the United Kingdom's Serious Organised Crime Agency
(SOCA) launched its own investigation into the matter, and plans to interview the first round of British passport holders that had their identities stolen. The British Foreign Office
also summoned the Israeli ambassador on February 18 to share information on the matter. The Daily Mail
cited a previously reliable "British security source" as stating that Mossad had tipped off the UK that their passports would be used for an operation, but this was denied by the UK government.
The photographs of 11 of the suspected killers were added to Interpol's most wanted list on February 18, with a note specifying that they had been published since the identities adopted by the suspects were faked. Dubai airport officials carried out routine retinal scans on 11 of the suspects sought in the assassination when they entered the country and Dubai police said they would publish the scans through INTERPOL.
Dubai police said some hit squad members fled to Iran
after the assassination.
Seventeen of the suspects used MasterCards branded by MetaBank
of Storm Lake, Iowa but issued by Payoneer
Inc which were used to buy their plane tickets in other countries before their arrival in Dubai. Other credit cards show ties to Britain's Nationwide Building Society, IDT Finance of Gilbraltar, and Germany's DZ Bank AG.
Payoneer is an Israeli start-up now based in New York with R&D offices and a majority of its employees in Tel Aviv. CEO Yuval Tal, is a former member of the IDF Special Forces. Payoneer is held by three venture capital firms: Greylock Partners, Carmel Ventures
, and Crossbar Capital. Greylock, which has offices in the U.S. and Herzliya, Israel, was established by Moshe Mor, a former military intelligence captain in the Israeli army. Carmel Ventures is an Israeli venture capital fund based in Herzliya. Crossbar Partners is run by Charlie Federman, who is also managing director of the BRM Group, a venture capital fund also in Herzliya that was co-founded by Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem. Mossad HQ are located in Herzliya.
The New York Post originally reported that Tal has disappeared since his company was identified as the issuer of some of the killers' credit cards, with his Brooklyn neighbors telling the NYPD that he left the country. He reappeared a day later, however.
The Dubai Police has found the DNA of one person and some fingerprints of other persons which are suspected. The chief of Dubai Police Dhahi Khalfan Tamim said that there are 648 hours of video films in which the 27 suspected persons are appearing. The police chief of Dubai Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan announced that the police has found the DNA of four suspected agents.
Security experts said the fact that no one can definitely say who was responsible—despite strong signs it was Israel—underscored the notion that this was a clandestine state national intelligence service at work. Robert Ayers, a former U.S. intelligence officer, said: "They got in, killed the guy and disappeared, without leaving proof of who they were. It doesn't get any better than that." As to the fact that such a large team was used, the prevailing view in the intelligence community was that it indicates the seriousness of the killers' intent, and reflected preparation for the possibility that things could go wrong, and team members need support to get out. A former member of a European intelligence service said: "On the video they do a good job of looking relaxed. This comes from knowing you have backup in the field." Similarly, espionage historian Phillip Knightley
said the size of the team was not excessive, noting: "You can never have too many people on the ground."
-controlled Palestinian Authority
(PA), and Anwar Shekhaiber, an employee of the PA in Ramallah, were arrested in Jordan
on charges of being accomplices to the assassination, and handed over to Dubai, suspected of giving logistical assistance including renting cars and hotel rooms. Hamas has claimed that their arrest is evidence linking the Palestinian Authority to the killing, while the Palestinian Authority has retorted by accusing the arrested Palestinians of being members of Hamas.
The two men are reported to be related to one another and to have lived in Gaza until Hamas took over full control of the Strip in 2006. One went straight to Dubai, while the other joined him after first going to Ramallah, where he was sentenced to death by a Palestinian Authority court, a punishment generally handed down to Israeli collaborators. The recruitment of Ahmad Hasnin by the Mossad could have been done when he was imprisoned by Israel for a month in June 2007 for his involvement with Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military wing for Fatah. He came to the UAE in 2008, according to a family source.
Dubai authorities said that one of the two Palestinians held in custody met a suspect in a suspicious place, time and manner, while the second is closely related to him and was found to have already been sentenced to death by one of the Palestinian parties. The second suspect is wanted by Hamas. They are both being held to ensure that no one comes to execute them.
A Haaretz
report based on information from an unnamed Arab diplomatic source said that Dubai police had asked Syria to detain Mohammed Nasser and other Hamas men for questioning. According to media reports, Nasser was in Dubai in the days before Mabhouh's killing and was intimately familiar with his schedule and whereabouts.
Dubai Police chief Dahi Khalfan said on March 3 he requested for the Dubai prosecutor to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Mossad, Meir Dagan for the murder.
He also announced Canada had arrested a suspect who "was among the preparatory group which arrived in the country and left it before the crime was committed." The suspects was reported to be one amongst a number of suspects for whom Interpol has issued red corner notices on behalf of the UAE. The following day, however, the Canadian embassy in the UAE denied this but said they were liasing with authorities back in Canada to verify the status of the arrest.
from Germany specified that Brodsky, aka Alexander Verin (or Varin), was "suspected of being involved in illegally obtaining a [German] passport" for another man known as Michael Bodenheimer, who is alleged to have taken part in Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's murder. A Polish court approved Brodsky's extradition to Germany on 07 July, pending appeal. However, the extradition was approved on the basis that Brodsky would not face German charges of espionage - instead he would only face the lesser charge of falsely-obtaining documents. Brodsky was transferred to German custody on 12 Aug, released on 100,000 euros bail on the 13th, and flown back to Israel on the 14th. The German prosecutor indicated that Brodsky would not have to face trial after all, but instead that "the matter can now be dealt with by written proceedings," most likely resulting in a fine.
At the end of 2010, Germany suspended the case of falsifying documents in lieu of a 60,000 euro fine; however, a German arrest warrant on the espionage charges remains in effect.
(UAE) said, "The abuse of passports poses a global threat, affecting both countries' national security as well as the personal security of travelers." He also said that those responsible would be brought to account, noting that, "The UAE firmly believes that relations among nations should be conducted on the basis of respect for sovereignty, mutual trust and within the framework of international norms. Like all civilised nations, we abide by these principles and we will deal with this criminal act within the international framework expected of civilised nations." Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, expressed the country's deep concern that expertly doctored passports from nations that do not require advance visas were used by the suspected killers. UAE officials said they remained in "close contact with the concerned European governments," listing the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany and Austria. Lieutenant General Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim said on March, 1 2010, during the International Security National Resilience Exhibition & Conference at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, that the police of the UAE will develop the skills to identify persons which are Israelis. So the police will deny the entry of any person as a suspected Israeli. Tamim indicated he was satisfied with his investigation, saying: "We have better experience and expertise than the Mossad."
– Britain's Foreign Office
believes that the passports used were fraudulent; one report indicated that they had issued the passports in January, 2010, the only difference between the actual identities being the photographs. The Telegraph
reported on February 20 that diplomatic sources say that the passport fraud was carried out by Israeli immigration officials. It is claimed that the dual Israeli-British citizens had their passports taken from them as they passed through the airport in Tel Aviv
– the details on the documents were recorded (and they were most likely photocopied), and then used to create new documents. These new documents sported the pictures of the suspects, but used the names and numbers of those whose identities were stolen. As a result of an investigation by the British Serious Organized Crime Agency, the government concluded that there were "compelling evidence to believe that Israel was responsible for the misuse of the British passports." The British Foreign Secretary David Miliband expelled a senior Israeli diplomat, who was thought to be the Mossad's station commander in the country. Britain also issued a warning to UK passport holders traveling to Israel to "only hand your passport over to third parties including Israeli officials when absolutely necessary". Israel had already used fake British passports to conduct an operation in 1987.
– François Fillon
, the French Prime Minister, said that though it remained unclear as to who was responsible, "France condemns assassination. Assassination is not a means of action in international relations." The Israeli chargé d'affaires in Paris was summoned on February 18 and the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing, "deep concern about the malicious and fraudulent use of these French administrative documents."
– The spokesman for the Austrian Interior Ministry confirmed that Austria is investigating the use of Austrian mobile phones by the suspected killers.
– Germany confirmed that it is actively pursuing information on the identity of the killers of al-Mabhouh. The German federal prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe began investigations about foreign spy activities in connection with the German passport used by one suspect in Dubai. The German Bundesnachrichtendienst (German intelligence service) told members of the German parliament that apparently the Mossad executed the operation in Dubai. According to Der Spiegel
, the Mossad operation could be considered as an affront to the Germans since the current head of German intelligence, Ernst Uhrlau has been acting at the behest of the Israeli government as a liaison between Jerusalem and Hamas. He sought the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted by Palestinian militants in 2006 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by the Israelis. Urhrlau was in Israel just a few days before Jan. 19. By then the Dubai operation was certainly under way.
– The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs stated that “Irish passports used by three people believed to have been involved in killing a Hamas member had genuine numbers” but that “the people identified in the passports recorded in Dubai were not those in the genuine passports.” The department had previously reported that the passport numbers were counterfeit and has since been given "additional material relating to the passport numbers". The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was trying to contact the three Irish citizens who hold or have held passports containing these numbers. Ireland ordered the removal of an Israeli diplomat as a protest over the use of forged passports.
– On February 2, the Iran
ian foreign ministry blamed Israel for the incident, stating, "This is another indication of the existence of state terrorism by the Zionist regime".
– On February 25, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
, said that any country that so abused Australian passports held Australia in contempt, stating, "we will not let the matter lie." In a meeting with Israeli Ambassador Yuval Rotem
, Foreign Affairs Minister, Stephen Smith, made it "crystal clear" that if it was concluded that Israeli officials had condoned or sponsored the abuse of the Australian passports, "Australia would not regard that as the act of a friend". Soon after this occurred, Australia, who is usually a strong supporter of Israel at the United Nations, abstained on a UN motion to investigate Israeli war crimes committed during the Gaza War, a motion that Australia had previously opposed. In the Australian press there was widespread speculation that the move was retaliation for the passport affair, although this was denied by the Australian government. On May 24, 2010 Australia expelled an Israeli diplomat in response to the incident. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith was quoted as saying "the decision was made much more in sorrow than in anger".
– Key Hezbollah members became nervous after the killing in Dubai. Since foreign passports were seemingly used for the attack, Hezbollah asked the Lebanese government for additional screening of foreigners entering Lebanon
.
– Foreign Minister Carl Bildt
stated that "misuse of European passports is not to be tolerated".
– Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn
stated that "political assassinations have no place in the 21st century".
– Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos
stated that his country was "extremely concerned".
– The Israeli government initially did not comment on claims that it was involved in Mabhouh's death. On February 17, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman refused to confirm or deny any Israeli involvement, and noted a lack of solid evidence for Israeli involvement. On February 24 the Jerusalem Post quoted the Israeli Opposition leader Tzipi Livni
as saying "Every terrorist must know that no one will support him when a soldier, and it doesn’t matter what soldier, tries to kill him" Israeli media and public opinion has generally accepted Mossad's responsibility for the operation. Due to Israel's military censorship laws
the Israeli media at first were careful to use the phrase "according to foreign media reports" to avoid directly accusing Mossad, however the phrase was abandoned and Mossad's culpability was openly assumed after the first week of the scandal. Opinions of the Israeli media were divided between approving of the success of al-Mabhouh's killing and disapproving the sloppiness of the operation and the resultant exposure and media scandal. Haaretz
s Amir Oren called Dagan to be fired due to what he considered a sloppy job, while the newspaper's Yossi Melman
predicted Israel would emerge from the incident "unblemished". After the United Kingdom expelled an Israeli diplomat over the use of British passports, Israeli right wing politicians commented against Britain's "disloyal" action. Knesset
member Michael Ben-Ari
stated that "This is anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Zionism". Israeli politician Aryeh Eldad stated that "Britain's behavior is hypocritical. Who are they to judge us in the war on terror?". Other than non-official comments made by right wing politicians, Israel has not officially responded.
- On December 28, 2010, secret cables leaked by Wikileaks
showed that Dubai considered keeping the assassination secret, and asked the United States
to help track down information on credit card numbers suspected of having been used by the assassins. The United States did not cooperate with the investigation.
, announced that he died of terminal cancer
in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates.
On January 29, Hamas' deputy politburo chief Moussa Abu Marzouk said, "Mossad agents are those who assassinated al-Mabhouh". Top Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar
speculated that same day that it was possible that members of the entourage of Israel
i infrastructure minister Uzi Landau
, who were in the United Arab Emirates
at the time for a renewable energy conference, were involved in his killing. Landau dismissed the claim, stating that his delegation was in Abu Dhabi
, some 120 km from Dubai, and was escorted by an eight-man UAE security team at all times.
On February 2, Hamas' representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan
said that Palestinian Authority security forces might have been involved in the death, stating that, "The Palestinian Authority security forces are pursuing [our] fighters and they have killed dozens of them since 1994." The Christian Science Monitor
reported that as liaison between Hamas and Iran for weapons-purchase and smuggling, he had many enemies including Israel (for the 1989 kidnapping and killing of two soldiers), Fatah (whose members "loathed" him), and Jordan (which was looking for him) and Egypt (which had imprisoned him for all of 2003). Haaretz
reported that details from a preliminary Hamas investigation procured by the newspaper suggested that Mabhouh was assassinated by agents of an Arab government, and that al-Mabhouh was wanted by Egypt
and Jordan. On February 12, senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal
rejected reports that Hamas blamed Arab states for Mabhouh's death, and said the Israeli Mossad was solely responsible.
On February 19, Hamas representatives said that the two Palestinians arrested in Dubai, Ahmad Hassanain and Anwar Shheibar, are former members of Fatah's security forces and work at a construction company in Dubai owned by Mohammed Dahlan
, a senior Fatah security official. A senior Hamas official told Al-Hayat newspaper that the two provided logistical aid to the Mossad hit team alleged to have carried out the murder, renting them cars and hotel rooms. Dahlan and Fatah denied the charges. Hamas blamed Fatah for helping the hit team.
The Guardian
reported on February 21 that the Emirate's police chief said that al-Mabhouh had been betrayed by a close associate, voiced suspicion of an "agent" in Hamas's ranks, and urged it to investigate. Nahru Massoud, a senior Hamas figure in the military wing of Hamas who had been in Abu Dhabi but left before the killing, said he was not being investigated for involvement, though Fatah officials claimed he was under arrest for it in Damascus.
, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings was quoted by the Los Angeles Times
as stating, "If a foreign intelligence agency was responsible for the killing of Mabhouh, the matter should clearly be classified as an extrajudicial execution. There is no legal justification for the cold-blooded murder of a man who, if alleged to have committed crimes, could have been arrested and charged."
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
hotel room. Al-Mabhouh
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
Mahmoud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhouh was a senior Hamas military commander and one of the founders of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military affiliate of Hamas...
—a co-founder of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist fundamentalist socio-political organisation Hamas. Created in 1992, under the direction of Yahya Ayyash, the primary objective of the group was to build a coherent military organisation to support the goals of...
, the military wing of the Islamist Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
militant group Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
—was wanted by the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i government for the kidnapping and murder of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 as well as purchasing arms from Iran for use in Gaza; these have been cited as a possible motive for the assassination. He also had many other enemies including Fatah (whose members "loathed" him), Egypt had imprisoned him for all of 2003, and Jordan's intelligence services were looking for him.
His assassination attracted international attention in part due to allegations that it was ordered by the Israeli government and carried out by Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agents holding fake or fraudulently obtained passports from several European countries and Australia.
The photographs of 26 suspects, and the names they used, have been placed on Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
's most-wanted list. According to Dubai's authorities, there are up to 29 suspects, 12 of whom carried British passports, six Irish, four French, one German, and four Australian, and another two Palestinians
State of Palestine
Palestine , officially declared as the State of Palestine , is a state that was proclaimed in exile in Algiers on 15 November 1988, when the Palestine Liberation Organization's National Council adopted the unilateral Palestinian Declaration of Independence...
who were arrested. Interpol and the Dubai police believe the suspects stole the identities of real people, mostly Israeli dual citizens. Two Palestinians, believed by Hamas to be former Fatah security officers and current employees of a senior Fatah official, were taken into custody in Dubai, on suspicions that one of them provided logistical assistance to the hit team. Despite Hamas's claim, Dubai would not comment on the incident or identify the two Palestinian suspects.
According to initial reports, al-Mabhouh was drugged, then electrocuted and suffocated. Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim
Dhahi Khalfan Tamim
Dahi Khalfan Tamim is a Lieutenant General and chief of the Dubai Police Force, for the Emirate of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He came to international attention while overseeing the investigation of the group suspected of assassinating Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.- Biography :Tamim was born in...
of the Dubai Police Force
Dubai Police Force
The Dubai Police Force is the 15,000 strong police force for the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. They come under the jurisdiction of the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE , and they cover an area of 4,114 square kilometres and a population of 1,321,453 people.-History:The...
said the suspects tracked al-Mabhouh to Dubai from Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria. They arrived from different European destinations and stayed at different hotels, presumably to avoid being detected and, with the exception of three of its members suspected of "helping to facilitate" who had left on a ferry for Iran several months before the assassination, departed after the assassination to different countries. Dubai's police chief said that he was "99% certain" that the assassination was the work of Israel's Mossad. On March 1, 2010, he stated that he was "sure" that all of the suspects are hiding in Israel. He has said that Dubai will ask for an arrest warrant to be issued for Meir Dagan
Meir Dagan
Meir Dagan is a former Israel Defense Forces officer and former Director of the Mossad .-Biography:...
, the head of Mossad, if it is confirmed that the Mossad is involved and responsible for the assassination. The Hamas leadership also holds Israel responsible, and has vowed revenge. Hamas, which is itself on the US
U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations
"Foreign Terrorist Organization" is a designation of non-United States-based organizations declared terrorist by the United States Secretary of State in accordance with section 219 of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act...
and EU lists
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
of terrorist organizations (and also considered a terrorist organization by the governments of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, as is its military arm by The United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), requested that Israel be added by the EU to its list because of suspicions that Israel was involved in the assassination. However, later in March, Dubai police chief said, "I am now completely sure that it was Mossad", and went on to say "I have presented the (Dubai) prosecutor with a request for the arrest of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the head of Mossad" for the assassination. and Khalfan would also suggest that Hamas fed information to the Mossad
On March 23, 2010, Britain's foreign secretary expelled an Israeli diplomat after the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency
Serious Organised Crime Agency
The Serious Organised Crime Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom under Home Office sponsorship...
turned up evidence that Israel had forged copies of British passports. On May 24, the Australian government expelled an Israeli diplomat after concluding that there was "'no doubt Israel was behind the forgery of four Australian passports" related to the assassination. Similar action was taken by Ireland. Israel has refused to comment on the accusations that its security forces were behind the assassination.
On September 30, 2010, Dubai's police chief Dahi Khalfan said he received death threats from Israel's spy agency Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
linked to his role in uncovering details of the assassination of Mabhouh.
Sequence of events
| (January 19, 2010) | |
| 2:29 am | Team leader arrives in Dubai |
| 3:25 pm | Mabhouh arrives at hotel |
| 3:51 pm | Team reserves opposite room |
| 4:23 pm | Mabhouh exits hotel |
| 8:24 pm | He comes back to hotel |
| (Mabhouh is killed) | |
| 8:46 pm | Team begins to leave hotel |
| (January 20) | |
| 1:30 pm | Body of Mabhouh discovered |
On January 19, 2010, al-Mabhouh was assassinated in his room in a hotel in Dubai, after being tracked by at least 29 suspects (26 suspects whose passport photos have been released, 2 arrested Palestinians, and another unnamed suspect), 26 of whom carried forged or fraudulently-obtained passports from various European nations.
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
reported that al-Mabhouh's departure from Damascus to Dubai on Emirates Flight no. 912 at 10:05 a.m. on January 19, 2010 was tracked by an agent on the ground in Damascus. Salah Bardawil, a Hamas legislator, said al-Mabhouh put himself at risk by booking his trip online and informing family in Gaza of the telephone number of the hotel at which he would be staying on his trip. Though there were reports that al-Mabhouh traveled under a false passport with the fake name "Mahmoud Abdul Raouf Mohammed", Hamas and Dubai officials maintain that al-Mabhouh entered the country under his own identity at 3:15 p.m. Normally al-Mabhouh would have been protected by bodyguards, but their arrival was delayed because the guards could not get tickets for the same flight, as "There was no room for them on the flight," said Talal Nasser, a spokesman for Hamas in Damascus. "Therefore he traveled alone, and the security guards were slated to join him the next day," he resumed.
Dubai’s police chief, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, stated that Mabhouh was transiting in Dubai before traveling to China.
Upon arrival in Dubai, al-Mabhouh took a taxi to the Al Bustan Rotana
Rotana Hotels
Rotana Hotel Management Corporation Ltd is a hotel management company in the Middle East and North Africa region and part of the Rotana Group of companies. It has a portfolio of 70 properties and operates four sub brands which include Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels by Rotana, Rayhaan...
hotel and settled into room 230. He had asked for a room with no balcony and sealed windows, so as no one could enter other than through the door. He showered, changed, left documents in the safe, and then exited the hotel between 4:30 and 5 p.m, roughly an hour after first checking in.
Nevertheless, what he did during the next three to four hours remains unclear. Dubai’s police chief said he did not meet anyone in the emirate, and went shopping. Meanwhile, the hit squad broke into his room. At 8:24 p.m. al-Mabhouh came back to the room, and subsequently failed to answer a call from his wife half an hour later.
Hotel surveillance footage was released to the public showing the suspects, who had arrived on separate flights, meeting in the hotel. While the suspects apparently used personal encrypted communication devices among themselves to avoid surveillance, the suspects were alleged by Dubai police to have sent and received a number of SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
messages to telephone numbers in Austria.
When al-Mabhouh arrived around 3 p.m., two of the suspects who were dressed in tennis attire followed him to determine which room he had checked into (which is No. 230), as well as the number of the room immediately across the hall (No. 237). The information is alleged by the Dubai police to have been communicated to a third party, who then telephoned from a different hotel to book room 237. According to surveillance videos, the individual who checked into 237 did not enter the room, but appears to have given the room key to an accomplice in the lobby of the hotel, and then to immediately have left Dubai, prior to the assassination. Al-Mabhouh, later, left the hotel and while several of the suspects kept watching, it is thought that (a) suspect(s) tried to gain entry to his room. One of the lookout suspects could be seen on video delaying a tourist who exits the elevator on the second floor at this time, apparently to give other team members time to act. While another suspect distracted the tourist, it is claimed that four suspects entered the victim’s hotel room and waited for him to return. The evidence for this is the fact that four men arrived by elevator and entered the hallway where the victim's room and the alleged perpetrator's rooms were located at this time, and the same four men immediately left after the assassination is supposed to have happened.
A readout of activity that took place on the hotel room's electronic door lock indicated that an attempt was made to reprogram al-Mabhouh’s electronic door lock at this time. The investigators believe that the electronic lock on al-Mabhouh’s door may have been reprogrammed and that the killers gained entry to his room this way The locks in question, VingCard Locklink brand (Dubai police video, 21:42), can be accessed and reprogrammed directly at the hotel room door.
According to Dubai Police
Dubai Police Force
The Dubai Police Force is the 15,000 strong police force for the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. They come under the jurisdiction of the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE , and they cover an area of 4,114 square kilometres and a population of 1,321,453 people.-History:The...
, he was dead by 9 p.m. that evening. On January 20, 2010, the following day, a hotel cleaner attempted to gain entry, but found that the door was latched from the inside. A member of hotel security was then called in to open the door. After the door was opened, al-Mabhouh's body was discovered. The body was lying in bed under the bedsheets, wearing only a pair of black shorts. On the drawer next to the bed, the assassins had placed a small bottle of medicine to make it appear as if he had died of natural causes.
Cause of death
Initially, Dubai authorities believed al-Mabhouh had died of natural causes. Fawzi Benomran, the Dubai police coroner, said, "It was meant to look like death from natural causes during sleep." It took 10 days for the Dubai police to come to the conclusion that al-Mabhouh was assassinated. Benomran described the determination of the exact cause of death as "one of the most challenging cases" his department has faced.The Khaleej Times
Khaleej Times
The Khaleej Times is a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Traditionally perceived as the second most popular newspaper in the UAE, Khaleej Times has struggled to keep up its circulation and entered 2011 with a print run of just under 40,000 copies...
quoted an unnamed senior police official as saying that four masked assailants had shocked al-Mabhouh's legs before using a pillow to suffocate him. Another story reported by Uzi Mahnaimi
Uzi Mahnaimi
Uzi Mahnaimi is an Israeli-born journalist. He is a Middle East correspondent for the London-based The Sunday Times. He is best known for providing an array of exclusive and topical stories about the Middle East.-References:...
stated that a hit team murdered al-Mabhouh with a heart-attack inducing drug, then proceeded to take photographs of his documents before leaving.
Al-Mabhouh's family said that medical teams that examined his body determined that he died in his hotel room after being strangled and receiving a massive electric shock to the head, and that blood samples examined by a French laboratory confirms that electrocution was the cause of death. Dubai authorities stated they were ruling the death a homicide and were working with the International Criminal Police Organization
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
to investigate the incident.
Other news reports gave varying causes of death, including suffocation with a pillow and poisoning. In an international press conference General Tamim, the head of the investigation, said that the exact cause of death is yet to be concluded.
Moreover, on March 1, 2010, the Dubai Police stated that he was first drugged
Major General Khamis Mattar al-Mazeina as the deputy commander of Dubai's police gave details of the death of al Mabhouh after forensic tests. Al Mabhouh was injected in his leg with succinylcholine, a quick-acting, depolarizing paralytic muscle relaxant. It causes almost-instant loss of motor skills, but does not induce loss of consciousness or anaesthesia. Then al Mabhouh was suffocated. Al-Mazeina said, "The assassins used this method so that it would seem that his death was natural".
Suspects
Dubai's police chief, Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, announced his preliminary conclusions (on February 18) that, "Our investigations reveal that Mossad is involved in the murder of al-Mabhouh ... It is 99% if not 100% that Mossad is standing behind the murder." After identifying the assumed names and photographs of 11 suspects, on February 20, 2010, he said his force had evidence directly incriminating the Mossad in the murder, adding that among the new evidence available were telephone communications between the suspected killers. On February 24, 2010, Dubai police identified 15 additional persons suspected of being involved in al-Mabhouh's assassination. According to journalist Uzi MahnaimiUzi Mahnaimi
Uzi Mahnaimi is an Israeli-born journalist. He is a Middle East correspondent for the London-based The Sunday Times. He is best known for providing an array of exclusive and topical stories about the Middle East.-References:...
, the decision to kill al-Mabhouh was authorized by Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
, after being suggested by Meir Dagan
Meir Dagan
Meir Dagan is a former Israel Defense Forces officer and former Director of the Mossad .-Biography:...
, the head of the Mossad, at a meeting in early January 2010. Later in March, Dubai police chief said "I am now completely sure that it was Mossad," and furthermore went on to say "I have presented the (Dubai) prosecutor with a request for the arrest of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the head of Mossad," for the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
Dubai police said the assassins spent little time in the emirate, arriving less than a day before the assassination, killing al-Mabhouh between his arrival at 3:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. that night, and subsequently leaving the country before his discovery. The identities used by 11 of the suspects have been made public. Two members of the team flew to Paris, while others flew to Hong Kong and South Africa before doubling back to Europe. The total number of suspects stands at 18, all of whom entered the country using fake or fraudulently obtained passports. Dubai police, who have stated that their airport personnel are trained by Europeans to identify faked documents, said that the European passports used were not forgeries. British, Canadian, and Irish governments said the passports bearing their countries' names were, "either fraudulently obtained or [are] outright fakes." All the stolen passports are from countries that do not need visas for the UAE.
- Six passports with the names Paul John Keely, Stephan Daniel Hodes, Melvyn Adam Mildiner, Jonathan Louis Graham, James Leonard Clarke, and Michael Lawrence Barney, and another six passports with the names Daniel Marc Schnur, Gabriella Barney, Roy Allan Cannon, Stephen Keith Drake, Mark Sklur, and Philip Carr. On the 24th of May, 2010, another British suspect was publicized- Briton Christopher Lockwood. It was later discovered that this suspect had stolen the identity of an Israeli soldier who was killed in the Yom Kippur War. : Three passports with the names Gail Folliard, Kevin Daveron, and Evan Dennings and another three with the names Ivy Brinton, Anna Shuana Clasby, and Chester Halvey. Ireland's Department of Foreign AffairsDepartment of Foreign Affairs (Ireland)The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for promoting the interests of Ireland in the European Union and the wider world...
declared that the passports used by the suspects were counterfeit and stated that it was "unable to identify any of those three individuals as being genuine Irish". According to the department, Ireland has never issued passports in those names. While the names and signatures were fake, the numbers on the passports were genuine, and belong to Irish citizens. Four of the five citizens have been contacted by the Department of Foreign Affairs, all of whom live in Ireland; none of them have travelled to the Middle East, lost their passports or had them stolen.: One passport with the name Peter Elvinger (suspected of being used by the hit squad leader, and logistical coordinator), plus another three passports with the names David Bernard LaPierre, Mélanie Heard, and Eric Rassineux. According to a spokesman of the French Foreign Affairs ministry, the passport in the name of Elvinger was counterfeit. The French government summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires in Paris on February 18 and the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing, "deep concern about the malicious and fraudulent use of these French administrative documents.": One passport with the name Michael Bodenheimer. German officials initially said that the passport number which they received from the authorities in Dubai is either incomplete or does not exist. Later, it was revealed that the passport was genuine. According to German federal investigators, an Israeli man named Michael Bodenheimer acquired German citizenship in June 2008 after providing immigration officials in CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
with the pre-World War II address of his grandparents and his parents' marriage certificate. He stated that he was an Israeli citizen and gave his address as a temporary "virtual office" that he had bought in HerzliyaHerzliyaHerzliya is a city in the central coast of Israel, at the western part of the Tel Aviv District. It has a population of 87,000 residents. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya covers an area of 26 km²...
(as of February 22 the office does not exist anymore). A Michael Bodenheimer who lives in Israel and holds dual American and Israeli citizenships said he does not know how his identity was stolen. One person who has the passport name Uri Brodsky was arrested in Poland in early June 2010. He was in Cologne with Michael Bodenheimer and Germany is seeking his extradition. See sub-heading "Alexander Verin aka Uri Brodsky" below for more information.: Three passports with the names Nicole Sandra Mccabe (who is heavily pregnant according to her mother ), Adam Korman and Joshua Aaron Krycer. Adam Marcus Korman, an Israeli-Australian citizen living in Israel, said that he was shocked and angry that his identity was stolen. In addition, the other three names are names of residents of Israel. A man named Joshua Krycer works in a hospital located in Jerusalem.
The names used on the UK passports belong to individuals who live in Israel and hold dual citizenships. An analysis of the assassination in The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle is a London-based Jewish newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world.-Publication data and readership figures:...
notes that this, "is the first real piece of information that could link Israel to the operation." Mossad is known to use the identities of Israelis with dual citizenship. In 1997, two Mossad agents traveled with Canadian passports of dual citizenship Israelis to Amman, Jordan in a botched attempt on the life of Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal. According to former katsa
Katsa
A katsa is a field intelligence officer of Mossad. He or she collects information and runs agents, similar to the case officer of the CIA.-Operation:...
Victor Ostrovsky
Victor Ostrovsky
Victor John Ostrovsky is an author, artist and former katsa for the Israeli Mossad . He authored two non-fiction books about his service with the Mossad: By Way of Deception, a New York Times No. 1 bestseller in 1990, and The Other Side of Deception several years later...
, a Canadian citizen, the Mossad formerly asked permission to use the passports of Israelis with dual nationality, but "I believe at some point, they stopped asking".
A Jerusalem-based British citizen whose name was used on one of the passports told Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
news agency that he has never been to Dubai and had no connection with the Mossad or the killing. He said that he did not "know how this happened or who chose my name or why". In addition, three other Israelis whose names appeared on the passports reported to the Israeli Channel 2
Channel 2 (Israel)
Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on...
news that they did not understand the coincidence, and were not related at all to the suspects. In the wake of the revelation that passports of British citizens had figured prominently in the operation, the United Kingdom's Serious Organised Crime Agency
Serious Organised Crime Agency
The Serious Organised Crime Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom under Home Office sponsorship...
(SOCA) launched its own investigation into the matter, and plans to interview the first round of British passport holders that had their identities stolen. The British Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
also summoned the Israeli ambassador on February 18 to share information on the matter. The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
cited a previously reliable "British security source" as stating that Mossad had tipped off the UK that their passports would be used for an operation, but this was denied by the UK government.
The photographs of 11 of the suspected killers were added to Interpol's most wanted list on February 18, with a note specifying that they had been published since the identities adopted by the suspects were faked. Dubai airport officials carried out routine retinal scans on 11 of the suspects sought in the assassination when they entered the country and Dubai police said they would publish the scans through INTERPOL.
Dubai police said some hit squad members fled to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
after the assassination.
Seventeen of the suspects used MasterCards branded by MetaBank
MetaBank
MetaBank is a savings bank headquartered in Storm Lake, Iowa. Meta Financial Group, Inc. , is the holding company for MetaBank, Meta Payment Systems, and Meta Trust Company®...
of Storm Lake, Iowa but issued by Payoneer
Payoneer
Payoneer is an Internet-based financial services business that allows users to transfer money and receive payments through re-loadable prepaid MasterCard debit cards...
Inc which were used to buy their plane tickets in other countries before their arrival in Dubai. Other credit cards show ties to Britain's Nationwide Building Society, IDT Finance of Gilbraltar, and Germany's DZ Bank AG.
Payoneer is an Israeli start-up now based in New York with R&D offices and a majority of its employees in Tel Aviv. CEO Yuval Tal, is a former member of the IDF Special Forces. Payoneer is held by three venture capital firms: Greylock Partners, Carmel Ventures
Carmel Ventures
Carmel Ventures, established in 2000, is an Israeli venture capital fund with over $600 million under management. Carmel is focused on early stage companies in the fields of Software, Internet, Media, Communications, Semiconductors, and Consumer Electronics....
, and Crossbar Capital. Greylock, which has offices in the U.S. and Herzliya, Israel, was established by Moshe Mor, a former military intelligence captain in the Israeli army. Carmel Ventures is an Israeli venture capital fund based in Herzliya. Crossbar Partners is run by Charlie Federman, who is also managing director of the BRM Group, a venture capital fund also in Herzliya that was co-founded by Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem. Mossad HQ are located in Herzliya.
The New York Post originally reported that Tal has disappeared since his company was identified as the issuer of some of the killers' credit cards, with his Brooklyn neighbors telling the NYPD that he left the country. He reappeared a day later, however.
The Dubai Police has found the DNA of one person and some fingerprints of other persons which are suspected. The chief of Dubai Police Dhahi Khalfan Tamim said that there are 648 hours of video films in which the 27 suspected persons are appearing. The police chief of Dubai Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan announced that the police has found the DNA of four suspected agents.
Security experts said the fact that no one can definitely say who was responsible—despite strong signs it was Israel—underscored the notion that this was a clandestine state national intelligence service at work. Robert Ayers, a former U.S. intelligence officer, said: "They got in, killed the guy and disappeared, without leaving proof of who they were. It doesn't get any better than that." As to the fact that such a large team was used, the prevailing view in the intelligence community was that it indicates the seriousness of the killers' intent, and reflected preparation for the possibility that things could go wrong, and team members need support to get out. A former member of a European intelligence service said: "On the video they do a good job of looking relaxed. This comes from knowing you have backup in the field." Similarly, espionage historian Phillip Knightley
Phillip Knightley
Phillip Knightley is a journalist, critic, and non-fiction author, visiting Professor of Journalism at the University of Lincoln, England, and media commentator on the intelligence services and propaganda.-Biography:...
said the size of the team was not excessive, noting: "You can never have too many people on the ground."
Arrests
Two Palestinians, Ahmad Hasnin, an intelligence operative of the FatahFatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
-controlled Palestinian Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
(PA), and Anwar Shekhaiber, an employee of the PA in Ramallah, were arrested in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
on charges of being accomplices to the assassination, and handed over to Dubai, suspected of giving logistical assistance including renting cars and hotel rooms. Hamas has claimed that their arrest is evidence linking the Palestinian Authority to the killing, while the Palestinian Authority has retorted by accusing the arrested Palestinians of being members of Hamas.
The two men are reported to be related to one another and to have lived in Gaza until Hamas took over full control of the Strip in 2006. One went straight to Dubai, while the other joined him after first going to Ramallah, where he was sentenced to death by a Palestinian Authority court, a punishment generally handed down to Israeli collaborators. The recruitment of Ahmad Hasnin by the Mossad could have been done when he was imprisoned by Israel for a month in June 2007 for his involvement with Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military wing for Fatah. He came to the UAE in 2008, according to a family source.
Dubai authorities said that one of the two Palestinians held in custody met a suspect in a suspicious place, time and manner, while the second is closely related to him and was found to have already been sentenced to death by one of the Palestinian parties. The second suspect is wanted by Hamas. They are both being held to ensure that no one comes to execute them.
A Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
report based on information from an unnamed Arab diplomatic source said that Dubai police had asked Syria to detain Mohammed Nasser and other Hamas men for questioning. According to media reports, Nasser was in Dubai in the days before Mabhouh's killing and was intimately familiar with his schedule and whereabouts.
Dubai Police chief Dahi Khalfan said on March 3 he requested for the Dubai prosecutor to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Mossad, Meir Dagan for the murder.
He also announced Canada had arrested a suspect who "was among the preparatory group which arrived in the country and left it before the crime was committed." The suspects was reported to be one amongst a number of suspects for whom Interpol has issued red corner notices on behalf of the UAE. The following day, however, the Canadian embassy in the UAE denied this but said they were liasing with authorities back in Canada to verify the status of the arrest.
Alexander Varin aka Alexander Verin aka Uri Brodsky
On 4 June 2010, Polish police arrested a man at the Warsaw airport carrying a false passport with the name Uri Brodsky, who was wanted by German authorities. A European Arrest WarrantEuropean Arrest Warrant
The European Arrest Warrant is an arrest warrant valid throughout all member states of the European Union . Once issued by a member state, it requires the receiving member state to arrest and transfer a criminal suspect or sentenced person to the issuing state so that the person can be put on...
from Germany specified that Brodsky, aka Alexander Verin (or Varin), was "suspected of being involved in illegally obtaining a [German] passport" for another man known as Michael Bodenheimer, who is alleged to have taken part in Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's murder. A Polish court approved Brodsky's extradition to Germany on 07 July, pending appeal. However, the extradition was approved on the basis that Brodsky would not face German charges of espionage - instead he would only face the lesser charge of falsely-obtaining documents. Brodsky was transferred to German custody on 12 Aug, released on 100,000 euros bail on the 13th, and flown back to Israel on the 14th. The German prosecutor indicated that Brodsky would not have to face trial after all, but instead that "the matter can now be dealt with by written proceedings," most likely resulting in a fine.
At the end of 2010, Germany suspended the case of falsifying documents in lieu of a 60,000 euro fine; however, a German arrest warrant on the espionage charges remains in effect.
Arrest of a top suspect
On 11 Oct 2010, The National of Abu Dhabi published an interview with Dubai's police chief Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, in which he claims that a western country had arrested a top suspect of killing Mabhuh about two months ago. The ambassador of the western country does not want to name the country and the name of the arrested suspect. Tamin expressed frustration at the lack of detail: "Why is it that every time an Israeli is involved in a crime, everyone goes mute? We want anyone who is dealing with this case to deal with it as security case, and not to pay attention to any other consideration."Countries
– Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
(UAE) said, "The abuse of passports poses a global threat, affecting both countries' national security as well as the personal security of travelers." He also said that those responsible would be brought to account, noting that, "The UAE firmly believes that relations among nations should be conducted on the basis of respect for sovereignty, mutual trust and within the framework of international norms. Like all civilised nations, we abide by these principles and we will deal with this criminal act within the international framework expected of civilised nations." Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, expressed the country's deep concern that expertly doctored passports from nations that do not require advance visas were used by the suspected killers. UAE officials said they remained in "close contact with the concerned European governments," listing the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany and Austria. Lieutenant General Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim said on March, 1 2010, during the International Security National Resilience Exhibition & Conference at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, that the police of the UAE will develop the skills to identify persons which are Israelis. So the police will deny the entry of any person as a suspected Israeli. Tamim indicated he was satisfied with his investigation, saying: "We have better experience and expertise than the Mossad."
– Britain's Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
believes that the passports used were fraudulent; one report indicated that they had issued the passports in January, 2010, the only difference between the actual identities being the photographs. The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
reported on February 20 that diplomatic sources say that the passport fraud was carried out by Israeli immigration officials. It is claimed that the dual Israeli-British citizens had their passports taken from them as they passed through the airport in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
– the details on the documents were recorded (and they were most likely photocopied), and then used to create new documents. These new documents sported the pictures of the suspects, but used the names and numbers of those whose identities were stolen. As a result of an investigation by the British Serious Organized Crime Agency, the government concluded that there were "compelling evidence to believe that Israel was responsible for the misuse of the British passports." The British Foreign Secretary David Miliband expelled a senior Israeli diplomat, who was thought to be the Mossad's station commander in the country. Britain also issued a warning to UK passport holders traveling to Israel to "only hand your passport over to third parties including Israeli officials when absolutely necessary". Israel had already used fake British passports to conduct an operation in 1987.
– François Fillon
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon is the Prime Minister of France. He was appointed to that office by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. He served initially until 13 November 2010 when he resigned from being prime minister before a planned cabinet reshuffle.On 14 November 2010, Sarkozy...
, the French Prime Minister, said that though it remained unclear as to who was responsible, "France condemns assassination. Assassination is not a means of action in international relations." The Israeli chargé d'affaires in Paris was summoned on February 18 and the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing, "deep concern about the malicious and fraudulent use of these French administrative documents."
– The spokesman for the Austrian Interior Ministry confirmed that Austria is investigating the use of Austrian mobile phones by the suspected killers.
– Germany confirmed that it is actively pursuing information on the identity of the killers of al-Mabhouh. The German federal prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe began investigations about foreign spy activities in connection with the German passport used by one suspect in Dubai. The German Bundesnachrichtendienst (German intelligence service) told members of the German parliament that apparently the Mossad executed the operation in Dubai. According to Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
, the Mossad operation could be considered as an affront to the Germans since the current head of German intelligence, Ernst Uhrlau has been acting at the behest of the Israeli government as a liaison between Jerusalem and Hamas. He sought the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted by Palestinian militants in 2006 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by the Israelis. Urhrlau was in Israel just a few days before Jan. 19. By then the Dubai operation was certainly under way.
– The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs stated that “Irish passports used by three people believed to have been involved in killing a Hamas member had genuine numbers” but that “the people identified in the passports recorded in Dubai were not those in the genuine passports.” The department had previously reported that the passport numbers were counterfeit and has since been given "additional material relating to the passport numbers". The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was trying to contact the three Irish citizens who hold or have held passports containing these numbers. Ireland ordered the removal of an Israeli diplomat as a protest over the use of forged passports.
– On February 2, the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian foreign ministry blamed Israel for the incident, stating, "This is another indication of the existence of state terrorism by the Zionist regime".
– On February 25, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
, said that any country that so abused Australian passports held Australia in contempt, stating, "we will not let the matter lie." In a meeting with Israeli Ambassador Yuval Rotem
Yuval Rotem
Yuval Rotem is currently the ambassador of the State of Israel to the Commonwealth of Australia.-Biography:Yuval Rotem was born on March 21, 1959 in Tel Aviv to Rachel and Israel Frenkel. They lived in a suburb called Giv'atayim. Rotem attended his first years of school in a local school. He moved...
, Foreign Affairs Minister, Stephen Smith, made it "crystal clear" that if it was concluded that Israeli officials had condoned or sponsored the abuse of the Australian passports, "Australia would not regard that as the act of a friend". Soon after this occurred, Australia, who is usually a strong supporter of Israel at the United Nations, abstained on a UN motion to investigate Israeli war crimes committed during the Gaza War, a motion that Australia had previously opposed. In the Australian press there was widespread speculation that the move was retaliation for the passport affair, although this was denied by the Australian government. On May 24, 2010 Australia expelled an Israeli diplomat in response to the incident. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith was quoted as saying "the decision was made much more in sorrow than in anger".
– Key Hezbollah members became nervous after the killing in Dubai. Since foreign passports were seemingly used for the attack, Hezbollah asked the Lebanese government for additional screening of foreigners entering Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
– Foreign Minister Carl Bildt
Carl Bildt
, Honorary KCMG is a Swedish politician, diplomat and nobleman. Formerly Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994 and leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999, Bildt has served as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs since 6 October 2006...
stated that "misuse of European passports is not to be tolerated".
– Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn
Jean Asselborn
Jean Asselborn is a Luxembourger politician. Since 31 July 2004, he has been the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration in the government led by Jean-Claude Juncker....
stated that "political assassinations have no place in the 21st century".
– Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos
Miguel Ángel Moratinos
Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé is a Spanish diplomat and politician, a member of the Socialist Workers' Party and member of Congress where he represents Córdoba....
stated that his country was "extremely concerned".
– The Israeli government initially did not comment on claims that it was involved in Mabhouh's death. On February 17, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman refused to confirm or deny any Israeli involvement, and noted a lack of solid evidence for Israeli involvement. On February 24 the Jerusalem Post quoted the Israeli Opposition leader Tzipi Livni
Tzipi Livni
Tzipporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is the current Israeli Opposition Leader and leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset. Raised an ardent nationalist, Livni has become one of her nation's leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has...
as saying "Every terrorist must know that no one will support him when a soldier, and it doesn’t matter what soldier, tries to kill him" Israeli media and public opinion has generally accepted Mossad's responsibility for the operation. Due to Israel's military censorship laws
Censorship in Israel
Laws on censorship in Israel are based on British emergency regulations from 1945 that apply to domestic media, foreign newspapers and wire service transmissions from or through Israel....
the Israeli media at first were careful to use the phrase "according to foreign media reports" to avoid directly accusing Mossad, however the phrase was abandoned and Mossad's culpability was openly assumed after the first week of the scandal. Opinions of the Israeli media were divided between approving of the success of al-Mabhouh's killing and disapproving the sloppiness of the operation and the resultant exposure and media scandal. Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
s Amir Oren called Dagan to be fired due to what he considered a sloppy job, while the newspaper's Yossi Melman
Yossi Melman
Yossi Melman is an Israeli writer and journalist.Yossi Melman graduated from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University...
predicted Israel would emerge from the incident "unblemished". After the United Kingdom expelled an Israeli diplomat over the use of British passports, Israeli right wing politicians commented against Britain's "disloyal" action. Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
member Michael Ben-Ari
Michael Ben-Ari
Michael Ben-Ari is an Israeli politician, and a current member of the Knesset for the National Union party. He is the first outspoken disciple of Rabbi Meir Kahane to be elected to the Knesset. He has a Ph.D in Land of Israel studies.-Biography:...
stated that "This is anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Zionism". Israeli politician Aryeh Eldad stated that "Britain's behavior is hypocritical. Who are they to judge us in the war on terror?". Other than non-official comments made by right wing politicians, Israel has not officially responded.
- On December 28, 2010, secret cables leaked by Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
showed that Dubai considered keeping the assassination secret, and asked the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to help track down information on credit card numbers suspected of having been used by the assassins. The United States did not cooperate with the investigation.
Palestinian
The day following Mabhouh's death, Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam BrigadesIzz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist fundamentalist socio-political organisation Hamas. Created in 1992, under the direction of Yahya Ayyash, the primary objective of the group was to build a coherent military organisation to support the goals of...
, announced that he died of terminal cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates.
On January 29, Hamas' deputy politburo chief Moussa Abu Marzouk said, "Mossad agents are those who assassinated al-Mabhouh". Top Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar
Mahmoud al-Zahar
Mahmoud al-Zahar is a co-founder of Hamas and a member of the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip. Since the formation of the Hamas/"Change and Reform" government in the Palestinian National Authority in March 2006, al-Zahar has served as foreign minister in the government of prime minister Ismail...
speculated that same day that it was possible that members of the entourage of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i infrastructure minister Uzi Landau
Uzi Landau
Uzi Landau is an Israeli politician, member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu and Minister of National Infrastructure. Previously a Likud MK, he served as Minister of Internal Security between 2001 and 2003.-Biography:...
, who were in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
at the time for a renewable energy conference, were involved in his killing. Landau dismissed the claim, stating that his delegation was in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, some 120 km from Dubai, and was escorted by an eight-man UAE security team at all times.
On February 2, Hamas' representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan
Osama Hamdan
Osama Hamdan is the top representative of Hamas in Lebanon and is a member of the organization's politburo. He is a member of the Arab National Congress and of the Arab Islamic Conference of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Institute in Lebanon....
said that Palestinian Authority security forces might have been involved in the death, stating that, "The Palestinian Authority security forces are pursuing [our] fighters and they have killed dozens of them since 1994." The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
reported that as liaison between Hamas and Iran for weapons-purchase and smuggling, he had many enemies including Israel (for the 1989 kidnapping and killing of two soldiers), Fatah (whose members "loathed" him), and Jordan (which was looking for him) and Egypt (which had imprisoned him for all of 2003). Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
reported that details from a preliminary Hamas investigation procured by the newspaper suggested that Mabhouh was assassinated by agents of an Arab government, and that al-Mabhouh was wanted by Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Jordan. On February 12, senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal
Khaled Mashal
Khaled Mashal, also known as Khaled Mashaal, Khaled Meshaal, and Khalid Mish'al, has been the main leader of Hamas since the assassination of Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in 2004. In addition, Mashal heads the Syrian branch of the political bureau of Hamas.Mashal was born in Silwad, a village north of...
rejected reports that Hamas blamed Arab states for Mabhouh's death, and said the Israeli Mossad was solely responsible.
On February 19, Hamas representatives said that the two Palestinians arrested in Dubai, Ahmad Hassanain and Anwar Shheibar, are former members of Fatah's security forces and work at a construction company in Dubai owned by Mohammed Dahlan
Mohammed Dahlan
Mohammed Dahlan born on September 29, 1961 in Khan Younis Refugee Camp, Khan Younis, Gaza Strip also known by the kunya or nom de guerre Abu Fadi is a Palestinian politician, the former leader of Fatah in Gaza...
, a senior Fatah security official. A senior Hamas official told Al-Hayat newspaper that the two provided logistical aid to the Mossad hit team alleged to have carried out the murder, renting them cars and hotel rooms. Dahlan and Fatah denied the charges. Hamas blamed Fatah for helping the hit team.
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reported on February 21 that the Emirate's police chief said that al-Mabhouh had been betrayed by a close associate, voiced suspicion of an "agent" in Hamas's ranks, and urged it to investigate. Nahru Massoud, a senior Hamas figure in the military wing of Hamas who had been in Abu Dhabi but left before the killing, said he was not being investigated for involvement, though Fatah officials claimed he was under arrest for it in Damascus.
European Union
EU foreign ministers "strongly condemned" the use of forged European passports in the killing.United Nations
Philip AlstonPhilip Alston
Philip G. Alston is an international law scholar and human rights practitioner. He is John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, and co-Chair of the law school's Center for Human Rights and Global Justice...
, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings was quoted by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
as stating, "If a foreign intelligence agency was responsible for the killing of Mabhouh, the matter should clearly be classified as an extrajudicial execution. There is no legal justification for the cold-blooded murder of a man who, if alleged to have committed crimes, could have been arrested and charged."
See also
- Israel – United Arab Emirates relationsIsrael – United Arab Emirates relationsIsrael – United Arab Emirates relations are pursued behind the scenes. Officially, the United Arab Emirates does not recognize Israel as a state, and the two countries do not have diplomatic relations.-Commercial ties:...
- 2004 Israel – New Zealand spy scandal
- Lillehammer affairLillehammer affairThe Lillehammer affair was the killing by Mossad agents of a Moroccan waiter, Ahmed Bouchiki, in Lillehammer, Norway on July 21, 1973. The Israeli agents had mistaken their victim for Ali Hassan Salameh, the chief of operations for Black September...
External links
- Video released by the Dubai Police documenting the assassination: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
- The Dubai Job by Ronen Bergman
- Dubai assassination spotlights top cop skills in a modern-day Casablanca By Danna Harman
- Using Intelligence from the al-Mabhouh Hit By Fred Burton and Ben West
- Chronology of the killing team from The NationalThe National (Abu Dhabi)The National is a government-owned English-language daily newspaper published in Abu Dhabi. The editor-in-chief since June 8, 2009 has been Hassan Fattah. Prior to this, and from the launch of the newspaper Martin Newland was editor-in-chief. Mubadala Development Company, an investment company...
- Travel movements of suspects in 2009, 2010, and a summary
- Passport pictures of the suspects Passport pictures with details
- How the suspects are connected 2010