Israel Matzav

Brit in Beit Shemesh wanted by Interpol in Mabhouh liquidation

A British Jew living in Beit Shemesh finds himself wanted by Interpol after one of the team that liquidated Hamas terrorist and arms dealer Mahmoud al-Mabhouh used a passport bearing his name.

A British man living in Beit Shemesh and reached by telephone said he had been impersonated.

"It's not me," said Melvyn Mildiner of the photo circulated by police in Dubai. "I have never been to Dubai."

Later, Mildiner had more to say.

On Monday night, Melvyn Adam Mildiner, a British Israeli man who made aliya from London nine years ago, went to bed suffering from what he said is pneumonia.

When he woke up the following morning, Mildiner said, he was stunned to discover that one of the members of an alleged hit squad who assassinated senior Hamas operative Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel last month went under an alias which was identical to his name.

"I have no idea how to clear my name. Interpol has a warrant out for my arrest. I don't know how I will travel. I went to bed with pneumonia and woke up a 'murderer," Mildiner told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

What began as a trickle of emails and calls quickly turned into a flood of incessant phone calls from the media on Tuesday, Mildiner added.

Mildiner said the entire episode "came out of the blue."

"First, clearly it isn't me. It doesn't look like me. The details are not correct [in the UK passport publicized by Dubai Police as allegedly being used by the hit squad member]. The date of birth is wrong. I've never been to Dubai. Someone, somewhere decided to use my identity for something," Mildiner added.

"I am seeking legal advice and looking into how I could clear my name. I don't know to proceed. I've had offers to be on every television show, including some I've never heard of. I'm waiting to hear from my lawyer," said Mildiner.

"We don't know for sure who did this, despite what everyone's saying. I'm angry with whoever has done it. My identity should be a bit more sacrosanct than that," he added.

For now, Mildiner said, he was focusing on getting rest, and would be giving media interviews a break.

In fact, there are doubts about some of the other people identified by Dubai police as well. Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:51 AM