Ireland seeks Israeli spy who assembled forged passport data

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
As the number of suspects involved in the assassination of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh rose to 26 yesterday, Irish government sources said they suspect an Israeli agent in Dublin of orchestrating the acquisition of several Irish passports used in the assassination. Six of the 26 identified members of the Israeli hit squad who killed al-Mabhouh in Dubai last January used forged Irish travel documents to enter the United Arab Emirates from a variety of international locations. There are rumors in Dublin that at least three more forged Irish passports, which were utilized in the assassination operation, will soon be added to the growing list. According to Ireland’s Independent newspaper, the unnamed Dublin-based Israeli spy collected and collated most of the misleading information that was used to apply for the passports, under the names of real, living Irish citizens, all of whom have now been traced by Irish authorities. Among the information were addresses belonging to dilapidated buildings in Dublin and elsewhere, which the passport applicants listed as their places of residence. One of the buildings, located at 6 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin, appears to belong to Jim Reynolds, brother of Albert Reynolds, Ireland’s former Taoiseach. The Irish have taken the issue to the European Parliament. Speaking on Tuesday in Brussels, Irish Labour MEP Proinsias De Rossa described the illegal use of the passports in al-Mabhouh’s assassination as “a gross infringement of Irish sovereignty [which is outside] the normal practice for friendly states”.