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Digital News Report – The assignation / murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh sounds like something from a Tom Clancy novel. Al-Mabhouh, who Hamas admits killed an Israeli soldier back in 1989, was staying at the Al Bustan Rotana hotel, near the airport in Dubai when he was killed.
After watching the senior Hamas official, an 11-member assassination team rented the room across from Mahmoud. According to a report by Hugh Tomlinson in the Times Online, the suspect’s movements were recorded via surveillance video.
Dubai authorities say the command center for the operation was in Austria. Rather than use cell phones the assassins used “discreet, sophisticated short-range communication devices” to communicate.
Apparently Al-Mabhouh arrived in Dubai from Damascus Syria so he could arrange a weapons shipment to the Gaza Strip. There were several assassination attempts against Al-Mabhouh already, so it is unknown why he was without security in Dubai.
The Dubai authorities, who have been investigating the death as a murder, have not ruled out Mossad (Israeli Intelligence) involvement. Early forensic evidence suggests that he was paralyzed by an electrical shock and then suffocated.
European authorities are now investigating the use of fake passports. Dubai police say the passports were not fake, but Irish, British, German and French authorities are claiming the passports are “counterfeit”. The German authorities say the passport number given was either incomplete or non-existent.
While European countries are asking Israeli ambassadors for an explanation to the passport mystery, evidence may point to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Haaretz, an Israel news agency, reported today that two Palestinian suspects were arrested in Jordan and handed over to Dubai today.
By: Greg Cook