Hamas assassination: Dubai adds 15 more suspects to investigation
Dubai added 15 more suspects to its ongoing investigation into a Hamas assassination on Wednesday. There are now 26 suspects in what Dubai claims was a Mossad hit and most of them remain at large.
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Dubai police have asked Syria to hand Mr. Nasser and other Hamas members over for questioning, the report said, citing an Arab diplomatic source.
Hamas has downplayed the possibility of Palestinian involvement in the murder, saying it will continue to seek reconciliation with Hamas.
Mustafa Al Ani, head of security and defense studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai, says that while there is no evidence that Hamas members were involved, the allegation is plausible because of the need for on-the-ground intelligence.
“Yes, you monitor his communications, mobile, Internet. But you always need a human factor to confirm the information. So Hamas has to do their investigation,” he said.
Mossad gets the blame – or bragging rights
Although Israel has faced criticism abroad and at home in recent weeks over the widespread belief that its Mossad spy agency carried out the assassination, it may also be benefiting from the association.
Whether Mossad did it or not, says Christopher Davidson, author of a book about Dubai, “It’s not too bad for Israel because it strikes fear into the hearts of Israel’s enemies.”
The intimidation factor matters, Israel’s former chief of staff Dan Halutz said on Tuesday at a conference at Tel Aviv University. Referring to the 2008 murder of senior Hezbollah figure Imad Mughniyeh, “his assassination was attributed to Israel, and this created deterrence. It is not for nothing that [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah has been sitting in a bunker for three and a half years. He thought and still thinks that the moment we can, we will assassinate him. It damages their conduct and deters [them].”
The murder has also been criticized for leaving behind so much video footage and for stealing Israeli citizens’ identities. The use of forged passports also piqued Europe.
Supporters of Mossad are showing their pride – sales of T-shirts glorifying the spy agency have risen tenfold since it was linked to the murder of Mabhouh, a leading mail-order company of Israeli products told the Irish Times.
Taking advantage of the publicity, the firm started a “Show off your Mossad and Israeli pride” marketing campaign earlier this week, said marketing manager Eran Davidov. One of the most popular shirts bears an image of a pistol and says, “Don’t mess with the Mossad.”
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