Dubai, February 16: An 11-member hit squad, composed mostly of UK passport holders, was responsible for the killing of a leader of the Hamas armed wing in a Dubai hotel room last month, the country’s police chief told reporters yesterday.
Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim showed a news conference surveillance video of the alleged assassination team arriving on separate flights to Dubai the day before Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was found dead by staff at the Bustan Rotana hotel, AP reported from Dubai. He said that six members of the team carried British passports, three – including a woman – Irish passports, one – the head of the team – a French passport, and one a German passport. He said photos and other information were being sent to Interpol.
Hamas has blamed Israel for the killing of Mr Mabhouh, who was responsible for the capture and killing of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 – slayings that shocked Israel and became part of the country’s collective memory. More recently, Israel considered him a key figure in the procurement of Iranian weaponry for the Islamic group which rules the Gaza Strip. But the Israeli government has studiously avoided commenting on Mr Mabhouh’s death.
–Agencies