Passports belonging to the alleged killers of a top Hamas official in Dubai are fraudulent, the British and Irish governments have said.

Ireland said the names and passport numbers of three suspects did not match anything issued by its officials.

Britain said it believed the six British passports were also fraudulent.

Arrest warrants were issued for the suspects named by police in Dubai, where Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was murdered in a hotel room on 20 January.

Two more men, one using a French passport and one using a German passport, are also suspected of playing parts in the assassination.

from the Guardian

A hit squad that murdered a senior Hamas official in Dubai used the stolen identities of six British citizens and faked at least five other European passports, it emerged today.

The international investigation into the assassination of Mahmoud al Mabhouh last month is certain to examine the role played by Israel, where four of the victims of identity theft, three Britons and a German, currently live.

Some reports last night suggested that a team of 17 people were involved in the meticulously planned killing, of whom six have yet to be identified.

UK authorities issued the British passports used by the assassins in Dubai last month, official sources said. They confirmed the killers had not altered the names and numbers in the passports, but the photographs had been changed.

At least five of the Britons whose identities were used by the assassins in Dubai live in Israel. All deny any involvement.

"I am obviously angry, upset and scared – any number of things," Melvyn Mildiner told Reuters. "And I'm looking into what I can do to try to sort things out and clear my name."

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Hamas has accused Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, of responsibility for the killing. General Khalfan said that Israeli involvement could not be ruled out. "We do not rule out Mossad, but when we arrest those suspects we will know who masterminded it," he said.

General Khalfan said that details of the 11 suspects had been passed to Interpol and that arrest warrants would be issued soon.

Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli Prime Minister, in a speech at the weekend, alluded to a report in The Times on Saturday that Mossad was waging a covert war of assassinations across the Middle East, targeting Hamas and Iranian officials.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7028123.ece

meanwhile .....

Earlier on Tueday, Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said that the three Irish passport-holders accused of taking part in the assassination did not exist said on Tuesday.

The trio of alleged Irishmen identified Monday in Dubai as Gail Folliard, Evan Dennings and Kevin Daveron do not appear in Ireland's records of legitimate passport-holders, said the government, adding that the Irish passport numbers publicized by Dubai authorities also are counterfeits, because they have the wrong number of digits and contain no letters.

British government sources told the Daily Telegraph earlier Tuesday that the three Irish passport-holders were most likely Mossad agents carrying false documentation.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1150184.html

Israel's foreign minister has stopped short of denying his country's involvement in the assassination of a Palestinian militant commander in Dubai.

Dubai authorities are seeking 11 people with European passports who are believed to have been involved in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

Mabhouh, who was found dead in his hotel room, is reported to have been in Dubai to source weapons for the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

Israel's policy is to neither confirm nor deny allegations that its spy agency, Mossad, has been involved in assassinations.

Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman says there is no evidence Mossad was behind Mabhouh's murder.

But many Israelis appear to believe otherwise, with some newspaper commentators calling the murder a tactical success and strategic failure.

One commentator has even called for Mossad chief Meir Dagan to be sacked.

Meanwhile British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for a full investigation into how apparently fake British passports were used by the alleged killers last month.

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Rainbow warrior revisited... see passport at top.

from the BBC

...

But in Israel's first official comments on the affair, Mr Lieberman said there was no reason to blame Israel and Mossad.

"I don't know why we are assuming that Israel, or the Mossad, used those passports," he told Army Radio.

"There is no reason to think that it was the Israeli Mossad, and not some other intelligence service or country up to some mischief."

He did not outright deny Israeli involvement.

"Israel never responds, never confirms and never denies," he said. "There is no reason for Israel to change this policy."

A former officer with the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, said the killing "looks like an Israeli operation".

But Gad Shimron added: "I believe it will never be officially confirmed by any Israeli government."

--------------------

I believe it was Goldophians from planet Zorkberg who did it... unless, on second thoughts, it was little green men (and green women) from planet Moonstein...

Of all Journalists in the world, I would trust only a few and Robert Fisk is amongst them.

From Robert Fisk:

Collusion. That's what it's all about. The United Arab Emirates suspect – only suspect, mark you – that Europe's "security collaboration" with Israel has crossed a line into illegality, where British passports (and those of other other EU nations) can now be used to send Israeli agents into the Gulf to kill Israel's enemies. At 3.49pm yesterday afternoon (Beirut time, 1.49pm in London), my Lebanese phone rang. It was a source – impeccable, I know him, he spoke with the authority I know he has in Abu Dhabi – to say that "the British passports are real. They are hologram pictures with the biometric stamp. They are not forged or fake. The names were really there. If you can fake a hologram or biometric stamp, what does this mean?"

The voice – I know the man and his origins well – wants to talk. "There are 18 people involved in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Besides the 11 already named, there are two Palestinians who are being interrogated and five others, including a woman. She was part of the team that staked out the hotel lobby." Two hours later, an SMS arrives on my Beirut phone from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is the same source.

"ONE MORE THING," it says in capital letters, then continues in lower case. "The command room of the operation was in Austria (sic, in fact, all things are "sic" in this report)... meaning the suspects when here did not talk to each other but thru the command room on separate lines to avoid detection or linking themselves to one another... but it was detected and identified OK??" OK? I ask myself.

-----------------------------------------

I believe we'll hear more from Robert Fisk soon, unless...

But the authorities in Abu Dhabi will expose the sting in full light too...

• Emirate '99% sure' Israeli spies were behind Mabhouh death
• Israeli ambassador told to explain use of fake British passports

Interpol should help arrest the head of Mossad if Israel's spy agency was responsible for the killing of a Hamas commander in Dubai, the emirate's police chief said today.

In comments to be aired on Dubai TV, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim called for Interpol to issue "a red notice against the head of Mossad ... as a killer in case Mossad is proved to be behind the crime, which is likely now".

International pressure intensified against Israel's spy service as official "wanted" notices were released for the suspected team of Israeli secret agents accused of participating in the assassination. The faces of an 11-strong alleged hit squad appeared on the Interpol website this morning, 48 hours after authorities in the United Arab Emirates issued arrest warrants for the killing last month of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

Their offences are listed as "crimes against life and health". The group stands accused of entering the emirate state using forged or stolen European identities, murdering the militant in his hotel and then fleeing the country on 19 January. The red wanted notices are not international arrest warrants, but allow details of fugitives to be released worldwide with the request that the wanted person be arrested and extradited.

---------------------

Gus: There must be some machines somewhere (in all countries using this passport-making method) able to "fake" real hologram pictures with a matching biometric stamp. Most spy organisation would have one or access to one... We won't know till the stint is fully investigated and suspects arrested... But I don't hold my breath... There are more pressing issues — such as global warming and extinction of primates — facing humanity.

It is always a pleasure to read from a forum that gives a true perspective of world events which definitely affect our lives now and in the future.

It would be contrary to our respect for truth to simply say that the murder of the Hamas leader was “of course” the Zionists.  However we are receiving reports through our forum which allows us to reach at least an informed opinion.

If one was to use the methods of Interpol, I think the outcome would be obvious and – 99% true.

IMHO there are only two organizations that would want to - and go to the trouble that was reportedly necessary, to perform such an assassination – and that would surely be the US and the Zionists in occupied Palestine.

The purpose? Not to eliminate a criminal but a leader of the resistance to Zionism. Did he have the right to exist in the UN declaration of human rights – yes he did.

It is of comfort to people like myself that the perpetrators of this crime will be pursued by Interpol and hopefully brought to justice in the International Criminal Court even though the US and the Zionists are not obliged to help. The first because they have not ratified it and the latter because they technically don’t even exist. REMEMBER THAT.

It is surely an indication to the power of Jewish world-wide organizations which relentlessly searched for the Nazis who implemented their WW II policies that have, ironically, become part and parcel of the doctrine of the mythical new “Israel”.

I support their WW II efforts even as I will support the efforts of those who will hopefully search for the Zionist criminals in the future.

I read somewhere that “denial of justice to one is denial of justice to all” – or something similar.

As a parting note together with my absolute belief that anti-Semitism is not the sole symbol of the Hebrews alone but, the “Holocaust” (now becoming known as the ultimate in racist cruelty) has also a factual flaw – and that is that the Holocaust was the Nazi persecution of all peoples who met their racist standards of “Untermenschen”.

Even some estimated 33 million Russians were in this category and were dealt with accordingly.

Pity is certainly not the sole right of only the Jewish people of Europe during WW II but, it does demonstrate the power of the media control which they have accumulated since the 19th century.

Just imagine if G.W. Bush (and the organization that controlled him) had entire control of the world after he declared “Mission accomplished”?

With  Cheney – the CIA – the Mossad – Netanyahu (who?) Abbott and Murdoch in Australia, any claims of freedom and democracy are very shaky indeed.

And why do I feel this way when my attention is media directed to even another item which, because of the bias and opinion abuse - should need a fair dinkum Royal Commission for justice to prevail – not only to find the self-evident truth so much as to stop the media’s Shark-feeding Murdoch frenzy which unfairly victimizes a government Minister of our Nation - not his dual citizenship which is only a spreading of his disease.

That is the abuse of power that I despise.

God Bless Australia and give our elected government to govern. NE OUBLIE.

.

MI6 was tipped off that Israeli agents were going to carry out an 'overseas operation' using fake British passports, it was claimed last night.

A member of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, said the Foreign Office was also told hours before a Hamas terrorist chief was assassinated in Dubai.

The tip-off did not say who the target would be or even where the hit squad would be in action.

But the claim from a credible source that the Government had some prior knowledge of the abuse of UK passports will strengthen calls for ministers to come clean about what they knew and when.

It came as more details emerged of how Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was lured into a trap by Palestinian double agents last month before being smothered with a pillow.

The killers tried to make his death look like an accident.

A British security source who met the Mossad agent, and has a track record of providing reliable information, told the Daily Mail: 'This is a serving member of Israeli intelligence.

'He says the British Government was told very, very briefly before the operation what was going to happen. There was no British involvement and they didn't know the name of the target. But they were told these people were travelling on UK passports.'

The security source said that the tip-off was not a request for permission to use British passports but more a 'courtesy call' to let the security services know 'a situation' might blow up. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1252034/Hamas-assassination-Did-Britain-know-Mossad-hit.html?printingPage=true

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met members of a hit squad at Mossad headquarters shortly before they went to Dubai to kill a Hamas commander, Britain's Sunday Times newspaper reports.

Netanyahu was welcomed to Mossad by its chief Meir Dagan and briefed on plans to kill Mahmud al-Mabhuh, a top commander of the Islamist movement that rules Gaza, the paper said, quoting unnamed sources with knowledge of Mossad.

The prime minister reportedly 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 Mabhuh, a founder of Hamas's armed wing who was killed on a visit to Dubai, and that there were traces of a nose bleed, possibly from being smothered.

The high-profile killing has caused diplomatic tensions between Israel and four European countries - Britain, Ireland, France and Germany - whose fake passports were linked to the hit.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/israeli-pm-approved-hamas-hit-report-20100221-onwm.html

From the Independent

"Their operations room... was a hastily rented ground-floor office in the Walker and French Investment Company GmbH, one of dozens that Gavron's secretariat kept permanently registered. Their communications equipment had more or less the appearance of commercial software; in addition, they had three ordinary telephones, courtesy of Alexis, and one of them, the least official, was the... hotline to Kurtz. As for Gadi Becker, he was finally back at war.... The introspection that had haunted him in Jerusalem had lifted; the gnawing idleness of waiting was past.... Becker stood sentry at the Venetian blinds of the wide window, gazing patiently upward into the snow-clad hills...."

True, this description of the preparations for another extrajudicial execution of a Palestinian militant on foreign soil was written more than quarter of a century ago when there were no throwaway SIM cards to help, and no CCTV or modern passport computer databases to hinder, operations like this. True, the target was closer at hand, in Europe itself. And true, too, it is fiction rather than fact.

----------------------

and closer to the the real world when written by John le Carré...

By Middle East correspondent Anne Barker

Posted 5 hours 23 minutes ago

Dubai has banned all Israelis from travelling to the country after the assassination of a senior commander of the militant Palestinian group, Hamas, last month.

Israelis are already banned from travelling to Dubai on Israeli passports.

But citizens with dual nationality, which is common in Israel, could still enter on a foreign passport.

But now Dubai's police chief, Dahi Khalfan Tamim, has announced the tiny emirate will deny entry to anyone suspected of being Israeli, regardless of which document they use.

He says police will develop skills and technology, such as voice and face profiling, to detect Israelis arriving on foreign passports.

The police chief alleges Israeli agents were to blame for the assassination, although Israel has said there is no proof of that.

Dubai authorities have named 27 suspects wanted over the murder of Mahmoud al Mabhouh.

Dubai alleges all the suspects are hiding in Israel and at least 15 of them share names with Israeli citizens.

The suspects are thought to have used fraudulent passports when entering Dubai to carry out the assassination.

-----------------------

Meanwhile, back in the past (please note this item is unconfirmed and coming from one only source)...

------------------------

Los Angeles, Alta California - October 15, 2001- (ACN) In a mind-blowing development, La Voz de Aztlan has learned that Mexican Army General Rafael Marcial Macedo de la Concha who heads the Procuraduría General de la República (Mexican Department of Justice) has released the retired Israeli Defense Forces colonel and presumed MOSSAD agent Salvador Guersson Smecke and Israeli illegal immigrant Saur Ben Zvi after both had penetrated the security of the Mexican Congress and where in possession of guns, hand grenades and explosives.

This morning La Voz de Aztlan had a personal telephone interview with the Mexican Congressional Press Secretary, Lic. Adriana Lopez, and verified the arrest of the two Israelis after they had entered through the highly secured front entrance of the Palacio Legislativo de San Lázaro. She stated to La Voz de Aztlan that the two terrorists had taken advantage of a situation that occurred around 1700 hours of Wednesday October 10 when a large contingent of Sugar Industry Unionists were entering through the metal detectors. The two Israelis followed about 50 of the unionists to the office of the President of the Mexican Congress Beatriz Paredes. The two Israelis were first pretending to be press photographers but called the attention of the sugar unionists because of their nervous and out of the ordinary behavior. About ten of the unionists confronted them and observed that they were carrying guns and and what looked to them to be explosives. They held the two Israelis until Official Congressional Security personnel took them into custody. The head of Congressional Security Salvador Alarcón verified that the Israelis had in their possession nine hand grenades, sticks of dynamite, detonators, wiring and two 9mm "Glock" automatics.

from an old "retired' spy...

In the various commentaries we have seen concerning the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas operative Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, Israel's Mossad is coming in for a great deal of criticism.

How, it is asked, could the vaunted Israeli spy service have left behind so much evidence?

Isn't the point of such operations to "eliminate" an enemy without being detected?

And when, according to this analysis, one factors in the ensuing political and diplomatic "firestorm" which is still gaining momentum, this Israeli operation - for such it certainly was - begins to look like a colossal blunder.

I would suggest, however, that those making these criticisms are missing the point.

Among other things, they are working from an old paradigm which simply is no longer relevant.

...

So long as their relations with the Americans are unaffected, they can afford to be fundamentally indifferent.

The simple, cruel truth is that in the end, no one - and here I would include all the governments concerned, including the concerned Arab states - is really going to care all that much, or for all that long, about the fate of one Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

Yes, there will be a bit of unpleasantness for a while, but before long, life will go back to normal.

Whether or not that is the way it should be is irrelevant; it is quite clear, on the basis of much past evidence, that that is precisely the way it is going to be.

Conflict in microcosm Indeed, one can see this incident as representative, in microcosm, of the larger Arab-Israeli (or Israeli-Palestinian) dispute.

In the smaller case, the Israelis literally get away with what some would regard as murder (albeit under circumstances where they would claim justified self-defence). They can do it because the risk-benefit calculation clearly comes out in their favour. 

In the larger case, the Israelis figuratively get away with what many would regard as the political-historical equivalent of "murder" (with an analogous set of historical justifications).

Slowly, inexorably, the Israelis are getting what they want - a "settlement" which they can unilaterally impose according to their own judgment of their long-term interests, however flawed that judgment may be.

While the toll for both Israelis and Palestinians may be considerable, and will be paid out over yet more decades, in the end the Israeli calculation, to the extent anyone really makes one, is that the benefits outweigh the costs.

-------------------

May whoever the Jews believe in, punish the zionists for their crimes of murder. see toon at top.

From an old ex-serviceman who was prepared to be seen for what he was.

To paraphrase the adage "the end justifies the means" is merely a way of excusing any type of crime against humanity.  It ignores the simple words of equality; justice and liberty that better people than you have strived for over many centuries.  But of course as a spy you were the cowardly type of "combatant" who lives by deception and betrayal.

Of course the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion and the motto of Mossad would commend you - provided you abided by their rules of anything a Jew does is acceptable and applauded by all other Jews? Which by definition makes the Zionist crimes also those of all Jews no matter where.

As a bigot you cannot face facts - there is no such legal state as Israel, ergo there are no Israelis.  That is by the International Laws which you refuse to recognise - so did Hitler.

Like the terrorist US your people have thrown away all the burdens of society for the ancient methods of "might is right".  And like your predessessors, your play on pity and sympathy is now gone completely - as it should have done long ago.

You may rejoice in the unrestricted crimes that your people have committed when actually continuing the Nazi style of conquest, immediately after WW II.  Your hatred of any laws but your own have brought you undone many times throughout history but - as usual, you will never learn. 

A lot of innocent people have been murdered and starved and dispossessed of all of their goods and you still have pictures of Jews suffering the crimes that the Nazis forced on you, even as you repeat them.

I have no respect at all for the Zionists in occupied Palestine, nor do I respect ANY leader of any supposed democracy, who may recognise a state created in Hitler's mould.

You and yours have brought doubt and distrust on the history of your ancestors who, I warrant, are NOT original Judaens nor Israelis.

God bless Australia and may justice be given to the Palestinians.  NE OUBLIE.

The Federal Government is expelling an Israeli diplomat after it found Israel faked Australian passports that were used in a hit on a top Hamas leader in Dubai.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith today condemned the fraud as "not the act of a friend" and a clear affront to Australia that cannot be tolerated.

"This is not what we expect from a nation with whom we have had such a close, friendly and supportive relationship," he said.

In February several forged Australian passports were used in the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

Mr Smith confirmed investigations by Australian Federal Police, ASIO and ASIS showed Israel fabricated the passports of four Australians who also had Israeli nationality.

"The high quality of these counterfeited passports points to involvement of a state intelligence service," he said.

----------------------

see toon at top...

I find it difficult to understand why nations allow dual passports (and literally citizenship) to people who may or not be decent citizens without allegiance to any nation.  They should not have it multi-ways.  Not in this world.

The very basis of loyalty relies on the belief in the nation to which you belong – not necessarily where you were born – otherwise why live in Australia?  Why allow them to live in Australia when their allegiance is compromised.

The practice of dual or multi passports is a denial of any debt; obligation or loyalty to any of the nations mentioned.  It’s just plain crazy.

Sooner or later, the world as we know it will be forced into active opposition to the illegal state of Israel.  How will a disunited opposition (like the UN) handle that situation?

There is only one way that all decencies can be respected – and that is to limit citizenship and of course, passports, to only one sovereign nation at a time.  Fair dinkum.

This simple explanation could stop the illegal state of Israel from exploiting the laizez-a-faire of the countries with the least security against them – that would be the Coalition in Australia.

Since the Jewish Financial Organizations will, historically, support the Liberals and their Mining Corporations – because it will destabilize the Australian people, how do we – or anyone – stop the inevitable from happening?

It seems to me that the time old problem of an empire demanding total control of the civilized world is always with us and the US has joined their military power to the financial power of the Zionists.

Usually, one is without the other, so let’s withdraw from being conned into sending our men and women into wars which we know is wrong and unproductive.

The Zionists are planting the disease and encouraging the Goyim to sip the poisoned chalice.

Greed is a terrible fault of humanity – but by any measure only shows that all of us are susceptible to a bribe. Perhaps the Elders of Zion recognized the faults of humans long before our academics did.

However, I am prepared to say that I, personally, would never accept any amount of assets or money to give up the most loving person I have met in my lengthy lifetime.  My Wife is not replaceable.

God Bless Australia and let’s face the problems together – it is possible even now, with an honest and fair dinkum Rudd government to protect ourselves if we maintain our own right of decision.  NE OUBLIE.

G'day Gus,

Since my teens while agreeing with my Father, I have believed that the provider of "information" has a power and an obligation that was intended to give a truthful report of world events.

Like my Father, with the now accepted propaganda which was fed to us - as indeed the “enemy” was fed to "their" people (but they were still people) I couldn't wait to join my older half brothers in defending our nation against the Nazis. As I assume the young Germans also felt.

It was, IMHO, a decision of right and wrong.  They were told they were right and we were equally told that we were.  Only now does some areas of truth break through the censorship and enlighten us to some, just some, of what really happened.

I have long ago come to the conclusion that the US found that war was a very profitable pastime and that they have exploited it as President Eisenhower warned them not to do.

Does the US have spies in every country of the civilized world? Yes.

Does their evil alliance with the illegal Zionists in occupied Palestine have any bearing on current world affairs?  Yes.

However, IMHO the US is no match for the world Jewish Congress which already controls their Government. The fault is not only the opportunist attitude of the Jewish world congress, but their understanding of the multi religions and vulnarability of most sovereign naions.

Does this mean that the world wide Jewish organizations consider the rest of the world as an enemy?  Yes I believe so.

Is money the root of all evil – yes I believe so.

God bless Australia and allow the government of our people to pay off our debt with assets rather than permanent servitude.  NE OUBLIE.

The Federal Opposition has accused the Government of expelling an Israeli diplomat as a means to win Arab support for an Australian seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith today announced the expulsion after investigations left the Government in "no doubt" Israel had faked Australian passports used in a hit on a top Hamas leader in Dubai.

But Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop says there is no hard proof Israel is behind the duplicated passports.

"In the absence of proof, it would be appropriate to reprimand, appropriate to chastise the Israeli government," she told Sky News.

"There is a widely held view, there is an assumption that the Israeli government was involved, but there is no actual proof."

Ms Bishop, the Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman, says expelling a diplomat is either an over-reaction or a calculated political decision.

------------------------------

Hum... Has Ms Bishop lost her marbles? A reprimand with no proof? Of course she's lost her marbles... Sure, there is no "official" proof of anything, and the earth is still flat. No-one has seen the secret printing presses and no-one will ever see them... But like the poms a month earlier did, the Aussie secret service know the assassination in Dubai was orchestrated by the Israelis, using fake passports from its dual-nationality citizens. NO-ONE ELSE but the Israeli secret service could have had access to such "original" country of origin passports in the first place and be able to make "fakes" passports, from about TEN countries at once — all with the same link: Israel. Smith had no other choice but to expell an Israeli dlplomat or two.

Yet, Israel really gets away with murder, as the assassination in Dubai is only considered an asterix is the saga of the "fake passports" by the Australian government... Sadly that killing is vicariously considered a bonus by the pitiful dangerous opposition in this good country...