Western governments pledge full cooperation in Al Mabhouh case

Dubai: Western states have pledged full cooperation in the case involving the assassination of a senior Hamas commander, the chief of Dubai Police said yesterday.

Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim told Gulf News there was full cooperation from the countries whose passports the suspects were holding.

"Those authorities expressed… remorse that the suspects had passports from their countries," he said.

Six of the 11 suspects had passports from Britain, three from Ireland, and one each from Germany and France.

There are more indications to the involvement of Israel's spy agency, Mossad, in the killing of Mahmoud Al Mabhouh, Lt Gen Dahi said.

There are also indications of the involvement of other parties in the assassination, as one of the main suspects held by security forces in Dubai is a Palestinian believed to have provided logistical assistance to the killers, he said.

A second Palestinian suspect does not have any direct involvement but was arrested for further investigation.

"We are still not sure of the second one, who seems to be also wanted by Hamas," Lt Gen Dahi said.

Neutral

He refused to indicate to which faction the two Palestinians belonged, saying: "we don't want to take part in the tension between the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas movement."

"I hope there isn't behind every Palestinian fighter a Palestinian agent… for almost every Palestinian assassination you will find Palestinian agents involved in the operation," he said, adding that there was a leak regarding Al Mabhouh's whereabouts.

A security source earlier told Gulf News that information on the Hamas official's movement was probably leaked from Syria, where he lived.

Both Hamas and Fatah refused yesterday to reveal more details on the two Palestinians, who were handed over by Jordan to Dubai Police for their alleged role in the murder. They said Dubai Police is the only party that has the authority to reveal the names.

"But for us, and for our people, their names are known as well as their affiliations," Musheer Al Masri, a Hamas MP, told Gulf News by telephone from Gaza.

"They were working for the intelligence organisation of [Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas' authority," he told Gulf News.

According to AlArabiya.net, one of the two Palestinians was a major under the Hamas government, but he fled after Hamas uncovered his relations with Mossad.

"Now, this doesn't concern us much," he said. "He is wanted now for justice for treason. He is now wanted by UAE… and by the Palestinian courts," Al Masri said.

Lieberman reacts

Israel's foreign minister said yesterday the use of the identities of foreign-born Israelis by a hit squad suspected of killing the Hamas leader in Dubai did not prove Mossad assassinated him.

"There is no reason to think that it was the Israeli Mossad, and not some other intelligence service or country up to some mischief," Avigdor Lieberman, asked about the operation and alleged passport subterfuge, told Army Radio. But Lieberman did not deny outright Israeli involvement in the killing of Mahmoud Al Mabhouh, saying Israel has a "policy of ambiguity" on intelligence matters and there was no proof it was behind the assassination.

Some Israeli commentators on intelligence matters suggested the Mossad may have blundered — if it carried out the attack — by using the identities of people who could be traced back to Israel.