Israel Matzav

Australia: No sign Prisoner X involved in Mabhouh assassination

Australia says there is no sign that Ben Zygier, known here as Prisoner X, used his Australian passport in connection with the assassination - allegedly by the Mossad - of Hamas terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. In fact, there's no evidence that Zygier was involved in the assassination at all.

Australia had no evidence that a dual Australian-Israeli citizen and suspected Mossad spy, who died in jail in Israel in 2010, had been involved in the assassination of a Hamas arms procurer in Dubai, Foreign Minister Bob Carr said on Wednesday.

Carr also said Australia had found no evidence of the misuse of any of the Australian passports taken out by the man, Ben Zygier, who had changed his name several times and obtained new Australian passports each time.

However, Carr said the Zygier case raised unresolved questions about Australian passports held by dual citizens who work for a foreign government, and said Australia would lodge the strongest possible protest if it was found that Israel had used an Australian passport for spying.

"We have our own sources. None of them have information at this time that one of his passports was misused. But we are very alive to the possibility," Carr said as he released a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade report into the case.

 It will be many years - if ever - before the full truth is known about this case.

Labels: Australia, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, Mossad, Prisoner X

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:50 AM