Benjamin Netanyahu met with Dubai hit squad

Benjamin Netanyahu met with Dubai hit squad

[link to www.theaustralian.com.au]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met members of a hit squad at Mossad headquarters shortly before they went to Dubai to kill Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel.

Mr Netanyahu was welcomed to the Midrasha - the intelligence agency's headquarters, in the northern suburbs of Tel Aviv - by Mossad chief Meir Dagan in early January and briefed on plans to kill Mabhouh, The Sunday Times reported yesterday.

The Prime Minister authorised the mission, which was not seen as complicated or risky.

"Typically on such occasions, the Prime Minister intones: `The people of Israel trust you. Good luck'," the paper added.

It also quoted a source saying burns from a stun gun were found on the body of Mabhouh and that there were traces of a nose bleed, possibly from being smothered.

The hit squad allegedly trained for the mission by secretly rehearsing in a Tel Aviv hotel. The methodical stalking of Mabhouh by a team of people using fake European passports was captured on CCTV cameras in the Dubai hotel.

Dubai police have blamed Mossad and named 11 suspects who apparently travelled to Dubai on the European passports. Interpol has put the 11 suspects on its top watch list but said those whose identities were stolen should be able to travel as usual though may face more scrutiny. Two Palestinians also are being held in Dubai on suspicion they helped the assassins.

The case has spread across several continents with investigators probing possible credit card links to US-based banks and European officials grilling Israeli envoys over the fraudulent British, Irish, French and German passports used by the hit squad. The German media have reported that the intelligence services of the country are certain Mossad was involved in the killing and that the German Foreign Minister demanded that Israel explain why it used a German passport in the operation.

Hamas at the weekend said Mabhouh exposed himself to attack when he breached security protocol by talking about his trip over the phone and making hotel reservations on the internet.

Hamas politician Salah Bardawil said Mabhouh unwittingly led his attackers to him by openly planning his travels - a move that would make him easily traceable.

"Al-Mabhouh called his family by phone before he travelled to Dubai and told them of his plan to stay in a specific hotel, and he booked his travel through the internet. This undoubtedly created a security breach in the movements of al-Mabhouh," Mr Bardawil told reporters in Gaza.

Mabhouh's brother Fayek denied the phone leak, saying the slain operative didn't reveal any details regarding his reservations or other travel plans.

"I am the last one who received a call from Mahmoud," the brother said. "He didn't tell me that he was going to Dubai and he never told anyone of the family the details of his work or his movements."

Israel has declined to confirm or deny Mossad's involvement.

The assassination has also triggered accusations between Hamas, which controls Gaza, and its rival Fatah, which controls the West Bank.

Hamas and Fatah alleged that the other group had collaborated with the spy agency but both hold Israel responsible for the assassination itself.