Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh the Hamas leader killed in Dubai in late January, was drugged and suffocated, according to a forensic report quoted by the police of the small Arab emirate.
In a statement, the deputy police chief, Gen. Khamis Mattar al-Mazeina, said the killers used an anesthetic to paralyze Al-Mabhouh to give the impression that death was "natural." The body of the victim did in fact shows no signs of resistance.
The sedative used, succinylcholine, relaxes muscles and is frequently used in the operating room, because it has the advantage of acting quickly.
Preliminary reports on the death of Al-Mabhouh suggested he had been electrocuted and strangled.
Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh was found dead Jan. 20 in his last hotel room in Dubai. He was regarded by Israel as a vital link in the smuggling of weapons to the Gaza Strip. He has been involved in the killings of two Israeli soldiers.
The Dubai Police has identified 26 suspects in the murder, all holders of European passports and Australian usurped. She suspected the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, to be responsible for this murder.
supports Israel's side as there is no evidence that the service is involved.
Trade Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Sunday he did not know who was responsible for the assassination, but he pointed to Hamas' nobody is untouchable. "
Friday, the Dubai police have said more evidence of the identity of the murderers: fingerprints, DNA traces and images captured by surveillance cameras.
It also announced its intention to establish a multinational team to hunt down the perpetrators of the killing of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh.
British policemen are in Israel to investigate the use of forged British passports by some of the suspects.
Radio-Canada.ca with
Agence France Presse, Associated Press, Reuters and BBC