Dubai says won’t request Mossad agent Brodsky's extradition
Police chief Tamim says man suspected of aiding Mabhouh assassination by issuing fake German passport to hit squad member should be prosecuted in Germany, 'where crime was committed'
Dubai will not request the extradition of an Israeli national suspected of aiding the assassination of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in January, Dubai’s police chief, Lt.-Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim said on Sunday.
A spokesman for the German federal prosecutor’s office told the Associated Press that the man, using the name Uri Brodsky, is suspected of working for the Mossad in Germany and helping to issue a fake German passport to a member of the hit squad that allegedly killed Mabhouh in Dubai.
Tamim told The National newspaper, which is published in the United Arab Emirates, that authorities in Dubai would not seek the extradition of the suspect from Germany, where the crime is said to have happened.
“This person has committed the crime in Germany and therefore it is only normal that he will be prosecuted there," he said. "For us, what is important that he will receive his punishment."
“The fact that German investigators could develop their own investigations is a clear indication of the strength of the information provided by us and that the pictures and other data collected are accurate,” Tamim was quoted as saying.
“The cooperation of the different Interpol members is leading the development of investigations. We will continue to cooperate with the different concerned authorities in the case," he said.
'No promises or guarantees'
Brodsky was arrested in Poland at Germany's behest with an international arrest warrant, which was issued by Berlin after the government learned that at least one German passport was used during the Dubai assassination plot five months ago.
Der Spiegel said he Brodsky was arrested a month ago upon landing at Warsaw's international airport.
The German investigation was said to have lasted a few months, during which it was discovered that the passport was issued to a man named Michael Bodenheimer in 2008.
Bodenheimer was said to have requested the passport on the basis of his residency in Germany and a wedding certificate belonging to his parents, who he claimed were persecuted there by the Nazis.
In February Der Spiegel reported that the German passport used in Dubai was real, but that the actual Michael Bodenheimer was an Orthodox Jew residing in Bnei Brak and that his identity had been stolen.
His wife told Ynet that the family had never visited Germany, and that no official authority had contacted Bodenheimer on the matter.
Earlier Sunday, Mabhouh's brother Hussein said Brodsky's arrest was just another embarrassment for the Mossad.
The brother said he and the rest of the family had not received any official updates on the ongoing affair, and were mainly using the media to update themselves.
"We hope the man who was arrested will be extradited to Dubai so the authorities there can question him, but we have received no promises or guarantees that this will happen," he said.
AP, AFP and Roni Sofer contributed to the report
