Suspects in Mabhouh hit (archives)
Photo: Reuters
Report: Brodsky used cover name Alexander Verin
Der Spiegel says Israeli arrested in Poland on suspicion of aiding Mabhouh assassination used several cover names while in Germany; claims Berlin angry over 'Mossad's use of Holocaust in passport request'
BERLIN – Suspected Mossad agent "Uri Brodsky" used several cover names while in Germany, including "Alexander Verin," the Der Spiegel magazine reported in its June 21 edition.
The Israeli national, who was arrested in Warsaw earlier this month, is suspected of fraudulently obtaining a German passport believed to have been used by a member of the hit squad that Dubai says assassinated Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a hotel room in January.
Israeli Government
Roni Sofer
Tourism minister suggests Israel use relations with Poland to fight Uri Brodsky's extradition to Germany, meanwhile Mabhouh's brother reiterates desire for extradition to Dubai, says arrest is another Mossad 'embarrassment'
A Polish court will rule within a month whether to extradite the suspected Israeli spy to Germany.
Brodsky is suspected of using a lawyer in the German city of Cologne to acquire the passport, and is believed to have traveled their in March 2009, using the cover name Alexander Verin. According to Der Spiegel, investigators say credit cards used during his trip were also used by him under the name Brodsky.
According to the report, Berlin is livid with Mossad for citing "persecution by the Nazis during the Third Reich" in its request to issue a passport under the name Michael Bodenheimer. That passport was used by one of the more than 20 alleged assassins who travelled to Dubai to carry out the hit.
Der Spiegel also said German ministers have agreed that the case involving the suspected Mossad agent will be handled "strictly according to legal criteria."
One government official was quoted as saying that "despite pressure from the Israeli side," political considerations will not play a part in the case.
Brodsky's attorney told a Polish court that his client is not a Mossad agent but a businessman who arrived in Poland for work purposes.
The website of Polish newspaper Gazeta reported Wednesday evening that the attorney had told the court that the incident was an unfortunate case of mistaken identity.
Reuters, AFP and AP contributed to the report
