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Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - Source: Reuters -
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Dubai's police chief plans to seek the arrest of Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Israel's spy agency
over the killing of a Hamas leader in the emirate, Al Jazeera
television reported.
Dahi Khalfan Tamim "said he would ask the Dubai prosecutor to issue
arrest warrants for ... Netanyahu and the head of Mossad", the
television said.
It did not give details.
Tamim has said he is almost certain Israeli agents were involved in
the killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh at a Dubai hotel
in January, calling for Mossad's boss, Meir Dagan, to be arrested
if it is proved responsible.
Tamim said Mossad had insulted Dubai and Western countries whose
fraudulent passports were used by suspects in the
assassination.
Dubai has asked the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to
look into prepaid cards issued by the Meta Financial Group's
MetaBank which the suspects used, a United Arab Emirates newspaper
said.
Citing an FBI source, The National newspaper said the investigation
would look into any Israeli involvement in the
killing.
"Thirteen of the 27 suspects used prepaid MasterCards issued by
MetaBank, a regional American bank, to purchase plane tickets and
book hotel rooms," the newspaper said, quoting Dubai police.
MetaBank said it followed proper procedures when it issued the
cards.
Authorities told the bank that the suspects appeared to have used
stolen passports to get employment with US companies, MetaBank said
in a statement on Tuesday.
The companies paid the employees with prepaid cards issued by
MetaBank and other banks.
MetaBank said it had launched its own review of the matter, and had
so far found that it followed all bank and regulatory
requirements.
The suspects authorities had identified were not on any list that
would indicate their identities were fraudulent, it said.
The UAE, a US-allied Arab state that backs the Palestinian drive
for an independent state and an end to Israeli occupation, has no
diplomatic relations with Israel.
But it has established low-level political and trade links in
recent years, with some Israeli officials attending events in the
Gulf Arab state.
Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer competed in the Dubai
Championships last month.
Members of the hit squad used fraudulent passports from Britain,
Ireland, Germany, France and Australia. Residents of Israel with
the same names as the suspects, holding dual nationalities, have
said their identities appear to have been stolen.
The passport abuse has drawn criticism from the European Union, and
some of the governments involved have summoned the Israeli
ambassadors to their countries to protest.
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