Israel blamed for killing of Hamas official in Dubai
February 2, 2010 1 Comment
Al-Mabhouh
By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
The Palestinian group Hamas says Israeli agents are behind the murder of one of its most senior commanders, whose body was discovered two weeks ago in a luxury Dubai hotel. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, co-founder of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, was an important mediator in weapons procurement for the Palestinian group, which has controlled the Gaza strip since 2006. On January 19, al-Mabhouh arrived in the United Arab Emirates on a commercial flight from Damascus, Syria, where he had lived for the past several years. Interestingly, he was apparently traveling under his real name, and was unaccompanied by his usual bodyguard detail, which —intelNews hears– has led to speculation that al-Mabhouh was somehow lured to Dubai. His body was discovered by staff at the luxury Al-Bustan Rotana Hotel the following morning. The initial police report suggested heart attack as the cause of death. But a subsequent autopsy revealed traces of poison in al-Mabhoun’s blood, and suggested that the former Hamas commander was severely electrocuted and suffocated by more than one culprit. Hamas said that the killers, who traveled on the same flight that brought al-Mabhoun to Dubai, left the country before his body was discovered, using European passports. There has been no comment from the Israeli government about al-Mabhouh’s killing. Extrajudicial assassination methods are frequently employed by Israeli intelligence agency Mossad against a variety of Palestinian and other Arab and Iranian groups. But if Israeli agents were indeed behind the latest assassination, it would mark the first time that Israel has targeted a Hamas senior official anywhere outside of the Gaza strip.
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Why is Dubai making such a big deal over who killed al Mabhouh? It would appear that they are using this as an opportunity to show that Dubai will even take on the powerful Mossad to protect visitors to Dubai. Especially visitors who are wanted for criminal activity. Dubai has long been a sanctuary for gangsters and terrorists, a neutral zone where the worst-of-the-worst could feel safe, and do some business. Al Mabhouh, for example, had police from Jordan, Egypt and Israel looking for him. Al Mabhouh supplied weapons to terrorists who killed Moslems, as well as Jews, but never did anything violent in Dubai. Al Mabhouh lived in Syria, and had often visited Dubai, to arrange arms shipments from Iran, and other countries, and spend lots of money at high end hotels.
The European and Middle Eastern media got on the indignation bandwagon, generally ignoring Dubai’s and al Mabhouhs background. Plus, there was the David and Goliath angle. Mossad, despite occasional failures, has an impressive track record of killing Arab terrorists (to prevent them from killing more Israelis, as well as revenge for past attacks). The police chief of Dubai, whose main job is protecting the many wealthy criminals that visit to party and parley, is making an entertaining, if thin, effort to prove Mossad did it. It’s all theater, with a macabre background and tantalizing clues.