Hit squad in Al Mabhouh killing used Irish passports

Manama: Members of a hit squad who killed a Hamas leader at a Dubai hotel used Irish passports to enter and leave Dubai, the Irish Herald has reported.

Mahmoud Al Mabhouh, 50, was found dead in mysterious circumstances on January 20 in a Dubai hotel room.

But, according to the newspaper report quoting police authorities, up to seven people, including at least one woman, were said to have been involved in the killing.

Four of the assassins used Irish documents to enter Dubai and later fled to a "European country" after the killing.

"We are aware of the media reports and we are in contact with authorities locally to try and determine the truth of the reports," a spokesman for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs told the Herald on Friday.

Hamas has blamed Israel for the killing, but Israeli news media claimed Al Mabhouh had many enemies and could have been killed by other Arab factions.

Declining to reveal their identities, an official said UAE security personnel were co-ordinating with Interpol to have them extradited.

The Herald said that US officials, including Oliver North, reportedly used Irish passports in 1986 to travel to Iran to offer missiles for hostages.

The passports were said to be real but the identities in the documents were fake.