The Utility of Assassination - STRATFOR

The apparent Israeli assassination of a Hamas operative in the United Arab Emirates turned into a bizarre event replete with numerous fraudulent passports, alleged Israeli operatives caught on videotape and international outrage (much of it feigned), more over the use of fraudulent passports than over the operative’s death. If we are to believe the media, it took nearly 20 people and an international incident to kill him.

We should begin by defining what we mean by assassination. It is the killing of a particular individual for political purposes. It differs from the killing of a spouse’s lover because it is political. It differs from the killing of a soldier on the battlefield in that the soldier is anonymous and is not killed because of who he is but because of the army he is serving in. Stratfor has written on the details of the killing as the company has learned of them, but they see this as an occasion to address a broader question: the role of assassination in international politics.

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British investigate ID theft by 'Mossad' hit squad in Dubai

Britain was today looking into whether any its nationals had their identities stolen by the assassination squad who killed a Hamas leader in a Dubai hotel. Police in the Gulf state are conducting an international manhunt for 11 suspects in the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in his hotel room on January 19. The investigators have named Melvyn Mildiner, Stephen Hodes, Paul Keeley, Jonathon Graha, James Clarke and Michael Barney as the British passport holders suspected of involvement in the murder, along with three with Irish passports, including a woman, and the holders of a German and a French passport. The Foreign Office and the Irish Government confirmed today that the passports used were fake. "We are aware that the holders of six British passports have been named in this case. We believe the passports used were fraudulent and have begun our own investigation," said a spokesman. "We have informed the authorities in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) that this is the case, and continue to cooperate closely with the Emiratis on this matter,"

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Saudi attack evokes fears of Yemen-based militancy

An attempt to assassinate Saudi Arabia's security chief, who is a prominent member of the royal family, appears to mark a new tactic by an al Qaeda network that is exploiting worsening instability in neighbouring Yemen.

A suicide bomber posing as a repentant militant failed to kill Prince Mohammed bin Nayef at his Jeddah office on Thursday in the first known attack on a Saudi royal since al Qaeda began a bloody campaign in the world's top oil exporter in 2003.

"If it had been successful, it would have been an incredibly significant propaganda victory for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)," said Christopher Boucek, an associate of the Carnegie Middle East Programme. "But it's not on the level of sophistication seen in previous multiple, coordinated attacks."

The Saudi and Yemeni branches of al Qaeda merged early this year to form AQAP. They regrouped in Yemen following a vigorous counter-terrorism campaign led by Prince Mohammed, deputy interior minister, that badly damaged militants in Saudi Arabia.

"Saudi prince spoke to bomber on phone before attack", Reuters, 9/1/09.

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