Two weeks after Hamas' al-Mabhouh assassinated, police chief warns intelligence agencies not to operate clandestinely on Dubai soil, adds no chance victim came to meet Iranian figures Roee Nahmias Published: 02.03.10, 15:21 / Israel News
Dubai Chief of Police Lieutenant Colonel Dahi Khalfan Tamim warned Hamas and the Mossad on Wednesday against operating on Dubai territory behind the backs of the authorities. "Anyone trying to operate behind our back should watch his own back," Tamim said to the London-based newspaper El-Shark El-Awsat.
Tamim also referred to the activities of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was killed in Dubai two weeks ago, which he said were entirely commercial, and had no connection to arms.
He added that Dubai completely rejects the possibility that foreign elements enter the country under false pretenses. "This is completely unacceptable," he asserted.
He also rejected claims heard from Israel that al-Mabhouh went to Dubai to meet with Iranian figures. "If al-Mabhouh had wanted to meet Iranians, he could have gone to Syria. This is the easiest option, because Iranians can enter Syria without difficulty, while it is hard for them to enter Dubai. He could also have gone to Iran, so why would he meet them in Dubai?"
He did not reject the possibility that the Mossad was behind al-Mabhouh's murder, but neither did he confirm it. "We have not accused the Mossad and we will not do so until we have discussed this possibility. I do not discount the possibility that some foreign element was involved in his death – perhaps the Mossad, perhaps others. At the beginning of the week, the chief of police had said that he and his staff suspect the Mossad was behind the assassination. "Personally, I don't rule out any possibility," he said, adding that the assassination team "included seven people or more who were in possession of various European passports." The Dubai police hurried to declare that they were not cooperating with Hamas in the investigation. "We are cooperating with the Palestinian embassy. We have a Palestinian embassy and consulate, but we are not working with separate elements," Tamim said. "If Hamas wants to work with us, we will say that this is a sovereign issue, and no other group can be involved."
