Dubai: 15 more suspects in Hamas slaying

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — At least 15 more suspects carrying foreign passports were linked Wednesday to an elaborate hit squad slaying of a Hamas commander that Dubai’s police chief claims was likely carried out by Israel’s Mossad secret service.

The latest accusations by Dubai police raised the size of the alleged assassination team to at least 26 and further expanded the investigation’s international web — now stretching from a bank in America’s heartland to European capitals and Australia.

The police statement also left open the possibility the probe could widen, and investigators were “not ruling out the possibility” of more allegations.

Some of the new suspects — 10 men and five women traveling on British, French, Irish and Australian passports — were allegedly part of “logistical support” teams that staked out Dubai for months before the Jan. 19 slaying of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing.

Although Dubai’s police chief, Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, has said he was nearly “100 percent” certain that Mossad masterminded the killing, the new details add at least one incongruous wrinkle. Two of the suspects allegedly left Dubai on a ship bound for Iran — Israel’s archenemy — after an alleged reconnaissance trip in August.

The police statement comes less than two weeks after Dubai authorities identified 11 suspects accused of using fraudulent European passports during a 19-hour operation to tail and kill al-Mabhouh in his luxury hotel room near Dubai’s airport.

The mission was described by Dubai authorities as a mix of clockwork precision and spy novel touches, among them, fake beards, wigs and tourist garb such as tennis outfits and rackets.

At least seven of the earlier suspects share names with people living in Israel, reinforcing widespread suspicion about Mossad involvement and bringing sharp complaints from European ambassadors about how the expertly altered passports were obtained.

In addition to the names, Dubai police also released a detailed flow chart-style diagram on the suspect’s roles and clips of video surveillance.

They also distributed a map showing the numbers of 17 credit cards allegedly obtained by the suspects from financial institutions in Germany, Britain and Iowa.

Dubai police say the total number of suspects using foreign passports is 12 British, six Irish, four French, three Australian and one German. Two other Palestinians also have been detained.