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Dubai names Hamas 'killer team' | |
(about 20 hours later) | |
Police in Dubai are to issue arrest warrants for 11 "agents with European passports" suspected of assassinating a top Hamas official last month. | Police in Dubai are to issue arrest warrants for 11 "agents with European passports" suspected of assassinating a top Hamas official last month. |
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was murdered in his hotel room in Dubai on 20 January. | Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was murdered in his hotel room in Dubai on 20 January. |
Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, said he was in Dubai to buy weapons for the organisation and accused Israeli agents of killing him. | Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, said he was in Dubai to buy weapons for the organisation and accused Israeli agents of killing him. |
Dubai's police chief said six of the suspects had British passports, three were Irish, one French and one German. | |
The Britons were named as James Leonard Clarke, Stephen Daniel Hodes, Paul John Keeley, Michael Lawrence Barney, Jonathan Lewis Graham and Melvyn Adam Milliner. | |
One of the group was a woman with Irish papers in the name of Gail Folliard. The other Irish suspects were named as Kevin Daveron and Evan Dennings. | |
We have no doubts that it was 11 people holding these passports, and we regret that they used the travel documents of friendly countries Lt Col Dhafi Khalfan TamimDubai police class="" href="/2/hi/in_depth/8517716.stm">Pictures of '11 Europeans' class="" href="/2/hi/middle_east/8486531.stm">Hamas commander 'killed in Dubai' class="" href="/2/hi/middle_east/8488249.stm">History of Israel's 'covert killing' | |
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and their Irish counterparts have said they are investigating. | |
Officials in Dubai said the team appeared to be a professional hit-squad, most likely sponsored by a foreign power, suggesting the team were operating on false documents. | |
He showed CCTV footage of the group entering the hotel where Mr Mabhouh was staying. | |
At one point the men appear to don wigs and false beards. | |
"We do not rule out the involvement of Mossad (the Israeli secret service), but when we arrest those suspects we will know who masterminded it," Lt Gen Dhafi Khalfan Tamim said. | |
"We have no doubts that it was 11 people holding these passports, and we regret that they used the travel documents of friendly countries," Lt Gen Tamim said. | |
'Suffocated' | 'Suffocated' |
Lt Col Tamim said the identities had been passed on to Interpol, as part of an official request for international arrest warrants to be issued. | Lt Col Tamim said the identities had been passed on to Interpol, as part of an official request for international arrest warrants to be issued. |
Mr Mabhouh was electrocuted and suffocated, according to reports last month. | Mr Mabhouh was electrocuted and suffocated, according to reports last month. |
Lt Gen Tamim said the suspects had followed Mr Mabhouh into Dubai from Syria, where he lived since 1989, before fanning out to stay at different hotels to avoid detection. | |
Two Palestinians who aided the team have been arrested, the police said. | Two Palestinians who aided the team have been arrested, the police said. |
Mr Mabhouh was a founder member of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and was thought to be behind the kidnap and murder of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 during the first Palestinian Intifada. | Mr Mabhouh was a founder member of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and was thought to be behind the kidnap and murder of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 during the first Palestinian Intifada. |
The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades have been responsible for suicide bombings and rocket attacks across Israel. | The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades have been responsible for suicide bombings and rocket attacks across Israel. |
Israel has refused to comment on the accusations its security forces were behind the killing. | Israel has refused to comment on the accusations its security forces were behind the killing. |