Dubai: The Dubai Police chief on Tuesday confirmed the arrest in Canada of a suspect believed to be involved in the assassination of Mahmoud Al Mabhouh, a Hamas commander, in the UAE last January.
Speaking to reporters here, Lieutenant-General Dahi Khalfan Tamim said the Canadian authorities have arrested a suspect who is connected to the murder of Al Mabhouh.
The Hamas commander was killed in a Dubai hotel on January 19 by Mossad agents.
Radio 2: Canadian Authorities make an arrest in connection with the assassination of the Hamas commander arrested in Dubai
Audio supplied by 99.3 106 Radio 2
Lt-Gen Dahi refused to give further details about the arrested suspect. According to Arabic daily Al Ittihad, the suspect was one of the two men caught on the hotel's CCTV cameras. The footage showed them wearing tennis gear as they stalked Al Mabhouh and followed him to his room in the Bustan Rotana Hotel.
Lt-Gen Dahi told reporters that he has been informed of the arrest "verbally" by a representative from the Canadian embassy.
The Dubai Police chief also downplayed threats which he had revealed earlier that he had received from the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. He said dedicated policeman receive such threats from criminals.
"It is natural for a police force who is trying to pursue criminal gangs to be threatened by those gangs. It applies to me and any other police officer who is out there to capture criminals," he explained.
