Who dunnit?

No one knows just how it began. If they do, they’re not talking, and definitely not to the press. Spies and assassins – especially teams of hit men – belong in novels from the Cold War, James Bond, and Jason Bourne movies. The murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Jan. 19 by a squad of trained killers is developing into an international scandal. As the assassins had used passports from various countries, and stolen the identities of Israelis with dual citizenship, thoroughly embarrassed and angry governments from various European states and Australia have been baying for blood. The assassins arrived from various European states a day before al-Mabhouh landed in Dubai, and left within a day after the murder to various destinations. Al-Mabhouh was the founder of the Hamas militant wing Izzedine al-Qassam, and was involved in the kidnapping and execution of two Israeli soldiers in 1989. Not surprisingly, fingers have been pointed at Mossad, Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, who have neither denied nor confirmed their involvement, following their policy of “speak never, and forever hold your peace.” Mossad has never denied involvement in any assassination plots. “None of these countries [who had their passports used] of course condone extra judicial assassinations. Or verbally at least, everybody will condemn these,” said Osvaldo Croci, a political science professor at Memorial University. “On the other hand, it is very well known that these things happen.”

It is unclear why al-Mabhouh was travelling to Dubai without his usual entourage of security personnel, though one theory is that he was there to conclude an arms deal. Apparently al-Mabhouh booked his tickets online and called his family in Gaza to inform them of the hotel he would be staying at, making it relatively easy for Mossad (or whoever is behind his assassination) to track his movements and destination. CCTV footage from the Al Bustan Rotana, the five-star hotel where al-Mabhouh was staying, shows a surveillance team waiting for him in the lobby, and tailing him to his floor to see which room he was in. The video, which is available on BBC, Al-Jazeera, the Guardian, as well as YouTube, is a chilling one: Member of the hit team “Gail” is smiling as she and fellow team member “Kevin” patrol the hallway while a team, already in place in the room, carry out the torture and murder of al-Mabhouh.

Dubai police released the videos which track the movements of the team, from the time they arrive in Dubai to the moment they leave the city, which are also available on YouTube. They have also been tracked to five various European cities, but the trail goes cold there. At least, if anyone knows, they’re keeping quiet.
“I don’t want to underestimate the significance [of the assassination] but in the great scheme of the Middle East problem, this is merely a footnote,” Croci said. Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai’s police chief however, seems to think otherwise. On March 6 he announced that the UAE will be imposing more exacting and thorough security measures when they suspect Israelis with dual citizenship are trying to gain entry into the country.

Israelis holding a second passport will no longer be able to travel to any of the Emirates. He said Israeli citizens were previously allowed in, “even if airport officials recognized them as Israelis from their accents and traits. But from now on they will be carefully scrutinized, regardless of what passport they hold.”

Heads must roll

Dubai has long been a commercial hub, and that the assassination took place there has caused some controversy in Israel as well, though there is staunch support and the general consensus appears to be that the individuals who killed al-Mabhouh are heroes. Al-Jazeera reported that “Don’t mess with Mossad” t-shirt sales have been flying off the shelves in Israel, and according to the Mossad website, applications from those wishing to join the Institute are reaching new heights. While applications pour into Mossad, there is criticism levelled at Mossad chief, Meir Dagan, from Dubai and elsewhere. Dahi Khalfan is “99 per cent certain” that Mossad is behind al-Mabhouh’s murder. In an interview, Khalfan said that Meir Dagan should be personally held responsible for the assassinations. According to the Dubai police chief, Interpol should issue a red notice for Meir Dagan if proof emerges that Mossad is indeed responsible. Israel’s media is staunchly behind Mossad’s head man. In an article in Israel’s Ha’aretz newspaper, Ari Shavat writes that before the al-Mabhouh assassination, the Israeli media was in love with “Dagan’s amazing boys” but things have gone south since. “Dagan is no longer the nameless hero,” stated Shavat, “but the national blunderer; no longer the people's darling, but a disgrace to his country. Some people are even demanding to see his head roll. That is unfair. Getting things done entails making mistakes.”

Fake passports spark global outrage

The photos and passport information on 26 people suspected by the Dubai police to have a hand in the killing has been made public, and Interpol has released Red Notices to help in identifying 11 suspects. Twelve of the suspects carried British passports; six were Irish, four French, three Australian, and one German. Interpol has declared the passports they used to be fake, and that the names in the passports are aliases.

Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB), located in Abu Dhabi, UAE; Interpol’s offices in Lyon, France; and Dubai’s police force are coordinating with NCB member states to attempt to track the movements of the assassins. Ronald K. Noble, Interpol’s Secretary General, has decided to share all information with law enforcement agencies in the hope that the larger the net, the harder it will be for the suspects to disappear. Noble also stressed the issue of identity theft – the suspects used aliases of real people whose identities had been stolen. These individuals were in their respective countries and appear to have ironclad alibis, and further claim they have no involvement whatsoever with the killing, the suspects, or Mossad. The British, Irish, French, German and Australian governments have claimed that they did not issue the passports and are furious over their passports being used in such a way. This is not the first time Mossad has used passports from other countries, as two Canadian passports were used in the assassination of Khaled Meshaal in 1997. The Israeli ambassadors have had to face the irate leaders of Britain, Ireland, and France, and answer a summons in Australia from a particularly irate Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith. An Australian police force has joined the Dubai police to help investigate the murder, and try and uncover the identities of the assassins using Australian passports. Canberra has taken an unusually uncompromising stance with Israel; Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has even gone so far to declare that Australia would not tolerate any country forging its passports, and there would be consequences for those who did. These are harsh words for a state which has historically had very close ties with Israel. Despite the tone and content of statements issued by the Australian PM and Foreign Minister, foreign policy experts don’t think there will be any lasting strain on Australian-Israeli relations. According to Croci, “What usually happens in these cases is that for a country such as Australia, which has often been accused of being sympathetic to Israel, this is a case in which they can openly condemn [Israel].” He says the strength of condemnation is generally a good indication of the state’s real position. The British government has not been as outspoken as the Australian, and while they deny they were aware of the assassination plot, William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary has said that it is possible the British government did know. The British newspaper, the Daily Mail, has also reported that MI6, the British intelligence service, knew about the plot. The numbers on the British passports are real – the only fraudulent parts seem to be the pictures and the signatures. Like the Australians, it is unlikely that ties between the British and Israeli governments will suffer permanent damage. After all, relations recovered after Margaret Thatcher’s conservative cabinet booted 13 Israeli envoys over the killing of a Palestinian cartoonist residing in London. Croci doesn’t think that the assassination of al-Mabhouh, which is not the first one, and won’t be the last one, will dramatically change relations between Israel and Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia. “It’s not the single episode which is very important; it is just one episode in a long list,” he said. “It’s not a turning point. Foreign policy usually doesn’t make major turns unless there is some kind of dramatic event. [This incident] is not enough to change foreign policy for any of these countries.”

Locate the assassin

Israel has had a long history of covert murders. There have been instances in the past when police and media have uncovered the truth, but never has there been such a reaction. That’s possibly because there’s never before been any recording of the assassin’s movements The suspects’ last known locations are Frankfurt, Rome, Zurich, Amsterdam, and Paris. There’s been no more news of their whereabouts, and maybe just like Jason Bourne’s body wasn’t recovered at the end of the trilogy, the world will never know what’s happened to these 26 suspects. It’s likely unnecessary to wonder if Hamas will get its revenge. “Although Hamas is a very complex organization, which does a lot of things; it is also a terrorist organization. It is not only a terrorist organization, but it is also that,” Croci said. Al-Mabhouh received a hero’s funeral; and heroes don’t usually go unavenged.

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