Three suspects in the killing of Hamas militant, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh are shown in this CCTV handout from Dubai police February 15, 2010.
Straight out Bond movie!
It seems like its straight out of a James Bond movie: A team of alleged killers in a swank Dubai hotel, some of them scoping out their target in an elevator while dressed in tennis clothes and carrying rackets and backpacks. The suspects, seen on security videotapes, however, fall short of the dashing and debonair assassins of the Bond movies. They do not stand out or draw attention to themselves. But their mission, according to Dubai police, was a chilling one: the cold-blooded murder of a top Hamas official. And that alleged mission was a success - the body of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a founding member of Hamas' military wing, was found in his hotel room the following day, January 20.
Hamas militant, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, is shown arriving at his hotel in this CCTV handout from Dubai police
Signs of torture
Though authorities did not say how al-Mabhouh died, they did tell his family that there were signs of electric shocks on his legs, behind his ears, on his genitals and over his heart. Blood on a pillow led police to believe he was suffocated. The killers apparently left some of al-Mabhouh's medicine next to his bed in an effort to suggest his death was not suspicious. It is said that the killers had adopted disguises including wigs and hats, used an electronic device to enter Mabhouh's hotel room and lay in wait for him.
Two suspects in the killing of Hamas militant, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, are shown in this CCTV handout from Dubai police
International arrest warrant
Dubai police has named 11 suspects in the case, ten men and a woman. Their pictures too have been released and international arrest warrant was issued. The 11 identified suspects include British, Irish, German and French passport holders. However, officials involved in the investigation, however, said there are 17 suspects involved, one Palestinian and 16 Europeans, although only 11 names have been released. Some suspects were apparently in touch with others outside the country.
One of the Palestinians, a man believed to have met, at the airport, the alleged mastermind, a man from France, was arrested in Jordan, and led the authorities to a second Palestinian. Both of the Palestinians were living in the United Arab Emirates and had residential visas. They have been returned to Dubai, where they remain in custody. However, several of the suspects have spoken to the media and claim to not have ever travelled to Dubai. While Britain, France and Ireland all claim the passports used were fraudulent.
Two suspects in the killing of Hamas militant, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh are shown in this CCTV handout from Dubai police
Assassination
Hamas has called al-Mabhouh's death an "assassination," and mourners at his funeral in Damascus, Syria, speculated that the Israeli intelligence unit, Mossad, was behind it. Al-Mabhouh, according to Hamas, was behind the kidnapping and killing of two Israeli soldiers in 1989. However, the Israeli security sources told that al-Mabhouh was a key link between Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas and he was involved in smuggling arms to Gaza. Sources also pointed out an arms dealer could have many enemies, not just Israel. Israel has a stated policy on security matters of neither confirming or denying involvement, and government officials in Israel denied comment on the "assassination" statement.
A presenter points to video footage showing suspects involved in the recent killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai
Mossad's hand
The recent revelations have left fingers pointed squarely at Mossad, Israel's secret service. Mossad has been accused in the past of issuing fake passports to hit squads, most notably in 1997 when agents entered Jordan with Canadian passports in a failed assassination attempt on Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal. Mossad is widely believed to have stepped up covert missions against Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, and Iran's nuclear project. Among killings attributed to Mossad was that of Hezbollah commander Imad Moughniyeh in Damascus two years ago. The two Palestinians suspected of providing logistical support in Mabhouh's killing are in police custody. Al Arabiya television had said they had been handed over by Jordan. The 11 identified suspects had apparently rented a hotel room opposite Mabhouh's around the time of his death and all were believed to have left Dubai. A police statement said the killers had adopted disguises including wigs and hats, used an electronic device to enter Mabhouh's hotel room and lay in wait for him.
Hamas militant, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, is shown being followed by his alleged killers in this CCTV handout from Dubai police
String of high profile murders
Mabhouh's killing was the third high profile murder in less than two years in the United Arab Emirates. Violent crime is rare in Dubai, part of the UAE and a regional trading and tourism hub.
A Lebanese pop star, Suzanne Tamim, was stabbed to death at her luxury apartment in Dubai in 2008. A billionaire Egyptian businessman and politician was later sentenced to death in Cairo for hiring a hit man to kill Tamim, reported to be his lover. Last year, former Chechen military commander Sulim Yamadayev was gunned down in an underground car park of a luxury seaside apartment block in Dubai.
Like most Arab countries, the UAE has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state and Israelis are routinely denied entry.
Source: Reuters