Most Passports Used by Dubai Hit Squad Members Appear to Have Been Counterfeit

Mark Hosenball Feb 24, 2010 06:46 PM
Intriguing details keep emerging in the killing of a Hamas operative in Dubai last month. It turns out that most of the European passports used by suspected members of the alleged hit team were counterfeits—but not all, according to two diplomats who are familiar with investigations into the matter by authorities in Britain and Ireland. According to another European diplomat, the German passport used by one suspected hit-team member is believed to be an authentic document issued by the German government, but it was issued to a man who had stolen the identity of another man currently living in Israel.The suspects who have been identified so far used 12 British passports, six Irish, three French, three Australian, and one German, according to information that has been made public by Dubai law-enforcement authorities. A dossier released on Wednesday identifies 14 new suspects in the Jan. 19 murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, bringing the total to date to 25. More Nicole McCabe says her identity was stolen as probe reveals Kevin Rudd was briefed years ago over fears spies were harvesting Australian passports. Israel blamed More