Israel reportedly fights extradition bid in Mabhouh arrest
Israel asked Poland not to extradite suspect in al-Mabhouh assassination to German authorities, Der Spiegel reports; Israeli national arrested in Poland treated like any other citizen would be, Foreign Ministry says
Earlier, it was reported that court officials told the German weekly that the man – Uri Brodsky – was arrested in Warsaw, and is suspected of aiding and abetting a crime and illegally acquiring a German passport in 2009 for one of Mabhouh's alleged assassins.
The arrest took place last weekend, when the Israeli national arrived at the Warsaw airport with a polish passport, prompting officials to act on an earlier German arrest warrant. A Polish newspaper said the reason Brodsky arrived in Warsaw was unclear.
Monika Lewandowska, a spokeswoman for Polish prosecutors, confirmed that Brodsky was arrested at Warsaw's international airport on June 4. She told the AP that the arrest warrant was made "in connection with the murder of a Hamas member in Dubai."
The suspect appeared before a Polish court on June 6, and was ordered to remain in temporary arrest for up to 40 days, she said.
Lewandowska had no information on his possible extradition
'Decision in Polish hands'
A spokesman on behalf of the German federal prosecutor's office told The Associated Press on Saturday that Germany is seeking Uri Brodsky's extradition, an alleged Mossad agent who was arrested in connection with the slaying of a Hamas leader in Dubai.
The spokesman said Brodsky is suspected of working for a foreign spy agency in Germany and helping issue a fake German passport to a member of the Mossad hit squad that was allegedly behind the killing of al-Mabhouh in January.
The spokesman could not say when he expected Brodsky to be extradited to Germany, adding that the issue was now in Polish hands. Should the suspect agree to be handed over, the procedure may take a few days, he said, but added that this would seem a far-fetched possibility given the circumstances of the case.
The Polish Interior Ministry refused to comment on the arrest. However, Israel's Foreign Ministry said it was familiar with the detainment, and that it was handling the Brodsky affair just like it would any other case. A senior source in Israel's Berlin embassy told Ynet that he only heard about the story via the media, and added that German authorities did not approach the embassy or asked for any clarifications thus far.
Jonathan Weber and Roni Sofer contributed to the story
