[mr dragon]

Not sure if this is big news over in the US. It's been going on here for a couple of days now- the UK press and media are having a field day with it. It reads like Hollywood thriller.

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was the Hamas operative responsible for killing two Israeli soldiers back in the late eighties, and was also an arms merchant who'd facilitated 'deals' with Iran to Hamas or Hizbollah. He was tortured and then assassinated in Dubai (in his hotel room) a few days ago by an 'international' 'hit squad'. Some of the 'assassins' were using stolen British passports, or other identities from different countries.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 029669.ece

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 029553.ece

[wakeyboy]

Israel has apparently apologised for this after outrage from the British government.

Does Mossad, or any organisation, have the right to tour the world under false documents assassinating people?

[SilverMiniCooperS]

It hasn't garnered a whole lot of attention here, except on BBC News - the networks did cover it and show the CTV coverage of them following him into the hotel etc. Was he tortured? Given the time limit they had I thought they just bumped him off and got the hell out of there fast!

[mr dragon]

...According to the press reports I've read, they 'think' he was. For about twenty minutes, before they offed him. The other thing that interests me is that they 'believe' there were about eighteen people involved in the actual 'assassination'. What I read today is they reckon this factor had to do with needing extra people to maybe deal with any of his body guards around the hotel, or act as look outs. Apparently some of the people involved followed him up to his hotel room, in the same lift he was in, when he booked in- to find out what room number he was in. They then booked a room next door. Some of them later 'apparently' broke into his room while he was away and waited for him, while the others went down top the lobby to act as look outs in case he came back, and also to possibly deal with any body guards he may have.

The media here are lapping it all up, but the whole issue is very intriguing. I didn't know Israel had apologised, as Wakey mentioned. I thought their policy with Mossad was not to deny, but also not to admit- when it comes to issues like this. I don't think anyone really knows yet what fully happened (and probably we may not fully ever know). One speculation that's been suggested is that it wasn't Mossad (or Israel), but someone else trying to 'make' Israel look 'bad'. Two of the people involved, so far arrested, are Palestinians. But then again, Mossad agents have used faked passports of known people (like this) before for similar kinds of things.

A very tangly web thus far woven.

[bll]

Indeed, I wonder how this will shake out.

[SilverMiniCooperS]

Ben, this is the AP story today on Yahoo.... I'm not sure that Israel has actualy apologized - note the sentence I made bold.

By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH, Associated Press Writer Mohammed Daraghmeh, Associated Press Writer – Fri Feb 19, 8:49 am ET

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Hamas claimed Friday that two ex-officers from the rival Fatah organization were involved in the assassination of a Hamas operative in Dubai, and Fatah shot back by insinuating Hamas members were the ones who collaborated with the killers.

The slaying of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a luxury Dubai hotel room last month has widely been blamed on Israel's Mossad spy agency but it also has sparked bitter recriminations among the rival Palestinian factions, which have long competed for influence in the Palestinian territories.

Dubai police unveiled 11 suspects — 10 men and one woman — who apparently traveled to Dubai on European passports with real names and authentic data, but possibly altered photos.

Dubai also said police had two Palestinians in custody for alleged involvement in the murder of al-Mabhouh, whose body was found on Jan. 20. The two were arrested in Jordan shortly after the killing, then sent back to Dubai.

A Hamas Web site, the Palestine Information Center, said those two men were former Fatah security officers and current employees of a senior Fatah official, who was not identified. Dubai authorities have not identified the two Palestinians and would not comment Friday.

Hamas stopped short of accusing Fatah of collaborating with the Mossad, however. Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' leadership in Damascus, told The Associated Press on Friday that Hamas is "not accusing any party" other than Israel, though he said the agents might have used "small collaborators for logistic issues."

The Hamas Web site identifies the two men as Anwar Shheibar and Ahmad Hassanain. It says they served in Fatah's security services in Gaza, fled the territory in 2006, and currently work for a construction company owned by a high-ranking Fatah official, Mohammed Dahlan.

Dahlan denied any connection to the men or to the killing, telling the Kuwait-based paper Gulf News in an interview published Friday that Hamas was "following mirages created by Israel."

A Fatah spokesman also denied the charge. "Hamas is trying by these accusations to cover up the security flaws in the first lines of its leadership," said Adnan Damiri, a spokesman for Palestinian security forces in the Fatah-ruled West Bank. "Hamas is the only one to know the movement of Al-Mabhouh, and from there the information went to the Israelis."

Officials of the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Authority in the West Bank city of Ramallah said the two men are former members of Fatah who later joined Hamas security forces in Gaza. They said the men were sent to Dubai on Hamas business last month but had no further details. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been given permission to comment publicly.

Israel has refused to comment on accusations it was behind the killing, with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying Wednesday that "Israel never responds, never confirms and never denies."

Hamas and Fatah have been trading accusations over the affair for days, but Friday's allegations were the first time names were used. Each side has made attempts to tone down the rhetoric — perhaps to avoid destroying prospects for reconciliation between the rivals who control separate territories on opposite sides of Israel.

The Western-backed Fatah and the Islamic militant Hamas fought a bloody civil war in 2007 that left Hamas in charge of Gaza and Fatah in control of the West Bank. Palestinians hope to establish a state in both areas.

This all has the makings of a good spy movie!!

[mr dragon]

This all has the makings of a good spy movie!!

It'll certainly keep the British media happy for a while! They're loving it. Especially with all the 'UK connections'.

It must be weird for the poor fuckers who had their identities stolen though. Imagine waking up one day to find out your passport identity and name had been stolen by someone who's carried out a high profile assassination...

[SilverMiniCooperS]

Poor sods - it must be a nightmare for them. I hope none of them plan on flying anywhere soon... Erm, sorry sir, but it seems your name has been flagged!

[waterbeetle]

I think that it's classic. You just don't fuck with the israelies, they will find you even if it takes decades and this cat had it comin'