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Hamas: Assassinated Operative Breached Security Protocols

   Robert Berger | Jerusalem 21 February 2010
   Palestinian  Hamas  militants  participate  a  rally for the memory of
   Hamas  commander  Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, seen in the portrait, in town of
   Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, 17 Feb 2010

Photo: AP

   Palestinian  Hamas  militants  participate  a  rally for the memory of
   Hamas  commander  Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, seen in the portrait, in town of
   Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, 17 Feb 2010

   There  are  new  developments  in the investigation of the murder of a
   leader  of  the  Palestinian  militant  group  Hamas last month in the
   Persian Gulf .
   Hamas  says  a top operative assassinated in Dubai last month breached
   security  protocols,  enabling Israel's Mossad spy agency to track him
   down.   Hamas  says  Mahmoud al-Mabhouh talked about his trip to Dubai
   over the phone and made hotel reservations on the Internet.
   Speaking in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, legislator Salah Bardawil said
   al-Mabhouh called his family before he traveled to Dubai and told them
   of  his  plan  to  stay in a specific hotel.  Bardawil said this was a
   serious security breach, considering al-Mabhouh was under surveillance
   by the Mossad.

   Suspects  wanted by the Interpol for the assassination of Hamas leader
   Al Mabhouh

   But  Dubai  police  have a different take: a breach of security within
   Hamas  itself.   According  to  a Gulf newspaper, police have informed
   Hamas that a mole may have leaked information to the Mossad.
   Israel  refuses  to  comment on Mossad operations and says there is no
   proof  the  spy  agency  was involved in the Dubai assassination.  But
   that has not stopped the international fallout.
   Israel's  Foreign  Minister  Avigdor  Lieberman  will  meet  Monday in
   Brussels  with  his  British  and  Irish  counterparts  to discuss the
   affair.  The hit squad used false British and Irish passports to enter
   Dubai, and Lieberman will be asked for an explanation.

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