In this Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 file photo, Palestinians from Hamas and other groups carry pictures of slain Palestinian Mahmoud al-Mabhouh as they call for vengeance for his killing in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon. The killing of a top Hamas operative in Dubai last month by assassins who used forged European and Australian passports has worried officials in the militant Hezbollah group who have openly asked Lebanese authorities to increase measures to prevent such incidents from happening here. Dubai police released the names of 15 new suspects, bringing to 26 the number of people suspected in the Jan. 19, killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in his hotel room. Dubai authorities have blamed Israel's Mossad intelligence agency for the slaying.(AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari, File)

Al Jazeera
March 2, 2010

The head of the Dubai police is planning to seek the arrest of the prime minister of Israel and the head of the country’s secret service, Mossad, over the killing of a Hamas leader.

Dhahi Khalfan Tamim told Al Jazeera he would ask the Dubai prosecutor to issue arrest warrants for Binyamin Netanyahu and Meir Dagan this week.

Tamim said he was “almost certain” Israeli agents were involved in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a Hamas commander, at a Dubai hotel in January.

Israel has has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in al-Mabhouh’s murder.

The police chief said Mossad had “insulted” Dubai and Western countries whose fraudulent passports were used by suspects in the assassination.

Investigation expanding

And a UAE newspaper reported that Dubai had also asked the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to look into prepaid credit cards issued by the Meta Financial Group’s MetaBank which the suspects used.

Citing an FBI source, The National newspaper said the investigation would look into any Israeli involvement in the killing.

Quoting Dubai police, the newspaper said: “Thirteen of the 27 suspects used prepaid MasterCards issued by MetaBank, a regional American bank, to purchase plane tickets and book hotel rooms.”

MetaBank said it followed proper procedures when it issued the cards.

Authorities told the bank that the suspects appeared to have used stolen passports to get employment with US companies, MetaBank said in a statement on Tuesday.

Dubai police have published details of 26 suspects together with passport photographs, and claim to have DNA evidence of the identity of at least one of the killers.

As a consequence of the assassination, UAE officials say they will prevent Israeli citizens travelling on foreign passports from entering the country.

Dubai police last Sunday issued a statement saying the “killers used the drug succinylcholine to sedate al-Mabhouh before they suffocated him” and that “assassins used this method so that it would seem that his death was natural”.

Al-Mabhouh’s killing has led investigators to Britain, Ireland, Australia and Germany – countries whose passports the assassins allegedly used.

© 2010 aljazeera.net

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