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French prosecutors to investigate Arafat death

August 29, 2012 09:02
Yasir Arafat. (Photo: Tibor Vegh)

By

Anna Sheinman,

Anna Sheinman

1 min read

French prosecutors have opened a murder inquiry into the 2004 death of Palestinian Authority leader Yasir Arafat.

Suha Arafat, his widow, lodged a legal complaint for murder last month, and the French public prosecutor has now ruled that an inquiry can take place.

Mr Arafat, who died aged 75 in a military hospital in France, was said by French doctors to have died of a massive stroke.

However, an investigation by Al-Jazeera television channel, in which a Swiss institute examined a bag of Mr Arafat’s belongings, found that his items had elevated levels of lethal radioactive substance polonium-210.

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