World
Brits linked to Dubai Hamas killing, claim police
Dubai has identified six British passport holders believed to have assassinated a Hamas commander in one of its luxury hotels.
February 16, 2010 11:35
ByJessica Elgot, Jessica Elgot
1 min read
Dubai has identified six British passport holders believed to have assassinated a Hamas commander in one of its luxury hotels.
February 16, 2010 11:35ByJessica Elgot, Jessica Elgot
Dubai has identified six British passport holders believed to have been involved in the assassination of a Hamas commander in one of its luxury hotels.
Six British men, and two Irish men and a woman, have had their passports linked to the killings but they may have been stolen.
British government sources told the Daily Telegraph that they believed that the three Irish passport-holders accused of the assassination were Israeli Mossad agents using false documents.
Dubai's chief of police, Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, said he was not ruling out Israeli involvement in the killings.
He said: “It is possible that leaders of certain countries gave orders to their intelligence agents to kill the Hamas man.
We do not rule out Mossad, but when we arrest those suspects we will know who masterminded it. Dubai Police Chief
“We do not rule out Mossad, but when we arrest those suspects we will know who masterminded it.
“We have identified the suspects and will issue arrest warrants against them and will take legal action against anyone or any party which will prove to stand behind the murder.”
Lt Gen Tamim has previously said he would issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu if Mossad were found to be connected to the killings.
The Britons named by Dubai police are Stephen Daniel Hodes, Paul John Keeley, Michael Lawrence Barney, James Leonard Clarke, Melvyn Adam Mildiner and Jonathan Louis Graham.
The gang, wearing tennis clothes, and some in glasses, fake beards and wigs are now said to be on the run after the killing of Hamas’s Mahmoud al-Mabhouh at the five-star al-Bustan Rotana hotel near Dubai airport.
The gang are believed to have arrived on separate planes and spent less than a day in the country.
A Foreign Office spokesman said officials were “seeking further information” and confirmed Interpol had received a request for arrest warrants.
Dubai police say they believe that the passport holders are the ones to have carried out the attack and that the passports are not forged.
The other members of the gang were using French and German passports.
Mr al-Mabhouh was found suffocated in his hotel room. CCTV footage released of the assassination shows the assassins following him in the elevator and checking into a room across the hall.
Four of the assassins broke into his room while he was out and pounced on his return.
Dubai has allegedly told Hamas to steer clear of the investigation, but Hamas has opened its own inquiry with the help of Syria and Iran. Hamas would not confirm that Mr al-Mabhouh had been en route to Iran.