Dubai: Police authorities in Dubai are unyielding about revealing more information on the recent assassination of a senior Hamas military commander in a Dubai hotel.
Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, was reserved about giving details on Saturday, saying the cause of death was suffocation.
"Forensic examination points out that the deceased was suffocated with a pillow in his hotel room," he told Gulf News without commenting on whether he was also electrocuted or tortured.
Read the Gulf News editorial on the case
Mahmoud Al Mabhouh, 50, who managed to escape previous assassination attempts, was found dead in his hotel room a day after he arrived in the country. Dubai Police did not reveal the identities of the suspects.
"From our investigations and evidence collected from the crime scene, we have the identities of the people involved including the killer and the mastermind behind this crime. It is a professional criminal group," he said.
A security source said surveillance cameras in the hotel captured the images of the suspects.
Hamas said the Israeli intelligence unit, Mossad, was behind the assassination of Al Mabhouh, one of the founders of Hamas’s military wing, the Ezz Al Deen Al Qassam Brigades.
Interpol
According to Lt Gen Dahi, they have sent requests through the Interpol to get more information about the suspects and whether the passports they were carrying were authentic.
He refused to reveal which European countries they are approaching. He said he expects cooperation from the authorities.
"We are approaching all the channels including embassies and consulates to get more information on the suspects," he said.
"European countries don’t extradite suspects but we will demand ... the suspects to be tracked," he said.
"The big question to ask is how Hamas allowed such an important figure like Al Mabhouh to travel without protection," Lt Gen Dahi said.
"He didn’t have any escort or guard and they should have sought the assistance from the authorities in Dubai to provide him with security," he said.
"If this is how they handle matters then they have no knowledge on security matters," he added.
Lt Gen Dahi did not confirm or deny whether the Mossad was behind the assassination of Al Mabhouh.
