Hamas militants stand in front of a picture of senior Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh at rally against his assassination in northern Gaza on February 17, 2010. Mabhuh, a senior commander in the armed wing of the Islamist group, was assassinated last month in Dubai by a professional hit squad of at least 11 people carrying forged European passports, according to Dubai police. Hamas has blamed Israel for the assassination. UPI/Ismael Mohamad. |
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BERLIN, June 22 (UPI) -- Israel will use all means necessary to prevent a suspected Mossad agent tied to a Hamas assassination from being extradited to Germany, Israeli officials said.
German prosecutors said an alleged member of the Israeli spy agency Mossad was arrested in Poland earlier this year in connection to using a fake German passport. Berlin is asking for the extradition of Uri Brodsky, believed to be the first Israeli spy allegedly tied to the slaying of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel in January.
Mabhouh, a Palestinian national who founded the militant wing of Hamas, was discovered dead in a Dubai hotel in January. Dubai police said 12 British, six Irish, four French, three Australian and one German passports were connected to suspects in the Mabhouh assassination.
Berlin officials said the Israeli spy agency obtained the German passport by fabricating a story of Nazi persecution, the German news magazine Der Spiegel reports.
The German passport was linked by Interpol to the Dubai assassination, the magazine adds.
Israeli Trade Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told Der Spiegel the Israeli government was working to prevent the extradition of Brodsky to Germany.
"It is our obligation to prevent his extradition," he said.
