Tuesday March 09, 2010 08:32 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The International Police Agency, Interpol, issued on Monday arrest warrants for 16 more persons, suspected in involvement in the Mossad assassination of Hamas leader, Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, who was killed at a Dubai Hotel in January.

Al-Mabhouh was assassinated in his room at a hotel in Dubai on January 20. The Authorities in Dubai said that the Israeli Mossad is behind the assassination.

The total number of suspects in the case, according to the Interpol website, is now 27. Their names were tagged with “Red Notices” and were added to the Most Wanted list.

“The creation of the task force and the publication of the new Red Notices came as investigative information provided by the authorities in Dubai bore out the international links and broad scope of the number of people involved, as well as the role of two ‘teams’ of individuals identified by the Dubai police as being linked to Al-Mabhouh’s murder”, the Interpol said on its website.

The Red Notice by itself is not considered an international arrest warrant, but is meant to help the authorities identify and locate the suspects; it serves as a base for provisional apprehension.

The Interpol said that its investigators are joining the international task force investigating the assassination of Al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

The issuing of the red Notices and the creation of the task force itself was determined by the Interpol after the Dubai investigators confirmed that a large number of assassins participated in the assassination, and that they have international links.

The Interpol stated that the police in Dubai identified two teams of persons who are linked to the assassination of Al-Mabhouh.

The Police said that the first team of assassins was behind the actual act of murder, while the second team was responsible of closely watching the movement of Al-Mabhouh directly after he landed at Dubai Airport.

Ronald Noble, secretary-general of the Interpol, said that the thorough investigation of the authorities in Dubai presented passport records of the assassins, video surveillance, as well as DNA analysis in addition to credit card records, phone and transportation records. The police also interviewed witnesses.

Dubai charges Israel with vast passport falsification

Press TV, Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:29:24 GMT

The United Arab Emirates police have accused Israel of vast falsification of Western passports that was discovered after a January assassination of a Hamas commander in Dubai.

"I ring alarm bells. Israel is falsifying Western passports on a large scale. We discover forged passports on a daily basis," said Dubai police Chief Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim on Tuesday.

"The world must stop an operation of vast falsification of official documents (that) a formal body (Israel's spy agency Mossad) is carrying out," he added.

Dubai police have formerly accused Mossad spy agency of being behind the terrorist killing of Hamas commander Mahmud al-Mabhuh who was drugged and then suffocated in his hotel room in January 19.

The police released photos and information of 27 suspects, who entered Dubai on fake passports, using the identities of 12 individuals from Britain, six from Ireland, four from France, three from Australia, and a German.

The international police agency Interpol named a fourth Australian passport holder in connection with the terror killing of al- Mabhuh on Tuesday, Australian officials said.

The Australian government said it believed Mr Krycer's passport was forged, like other false documents used in the plot.

"There is no information to suggest that Mr Krycer, as with any of the other three Australian passport-holders, was involved in any way, other than as victims of identity fraud," said Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.

Interpol issued arrest notices Monday for 16 suspects wanted over the murder. It had previously issued notices for 11 other suspects in connection with the terror killing.

SB/MB