Thursday, February 18, 2010

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's Assassination Timeline (be careful who you make enemy's with)

By Channel 4 News
Updated on 17 February 2010
Dubai police have released a minute-by-minute account of events they say led to the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh last month - most of which was caught on CCTV.

On 20 January Hamas military leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was found dead in his Dubai hotel after an apparent assassination.
Dubai police have collated hours of CCTV footage in a bid to track down the people they believe killed the leader. In a 27-minute composite police have mapped-out the events they believe led to the murder in at the al-Bustan hotel.
19 Jan 2010
12:09 Nineteen hours before Mahmoud al-Mabhouh is found dead two suspects arrive in Dubai carrying passports with the names Michael Bodenheimer and James Leonard Clarke. Their documents state they are German and British nationals.
12:30 Two more suspects, including the only woman in the group, arrive from Paris holding Irish passports. They use the names Gail Folliard and Kevin Daveron.
01:00 Within the next hour all four suspects check in to two separate hotels in Dubai. Police believe the two pairs are surveillance teams sent ahead to gather intelligence on their target.
Officers believe that none of the suspects made direct calls to one another during their visit to Dubai - however a number of "suspicious" international phone calls were made to Austria, the suspected "command centre".
02:29 A man using the name of French national Peter Elvinger is met on his arrival in Dubai by another member of the team. Ten minutes later they both leave the airport in different directions and check in to hotels.
20 Jan 2010
10:30 Ten hours before al-Mabhouh is found dead a number of the suspects, including Miss Folliard, Mr Daveron and Peter Elvinger, arrive at a shopping centre separately. Within the next hour the suspects leave with Miss Folliard carrying a number of bags.

Five of the 11 European passport holders named by Dubai police including (from left) Peter Elvinger, Kevin Daveron and Gail Folliard.



13:37 Mr Daveron checks out of his hotel room and arrives at another hotel where he changes his appearance by adding a wig and glasses.
14:12 Over the next hour Mr Elvinger and Miss Folliard also check out of their hotels. The first surveillance team also arrive at the al-Bustan Rotana Hotel where al-Mabhouh planning to stay.
15:20 Mahmoud al-Mabhouh arrives alone in Dubai and it tracked by a member of a surveillance team at the airport.
Police say the 48-year-old senior commander of Hamas entered the country under the false name of Mahmoud Adbul Ra'ouf Mohammed. It is unclear why the leader decided not to travel with bodyguards or why he was travelling to Dubai. Unconfirmed reports that Mabhouh was aiming to buy weapons from Iranian suppliers have been denied.
15:25 Miss Folliard arrives at another hotel and also changes her appearance reappearing with a thick center-parted bob.

15:25 Al-Mabhouh arrives at the Al-Bustan hotel and is followed by two members of the surveillance team wearing sports gear and holding tennis rackets.
15:30 Both 'tennis players' follow al-Mabhouh into a lift and follow him to find out which room he is staying in. While one of the squad finds that al-Mabhouh is staying in room 230 another is caught on CCTV talking in a "communication device" on his wrist.
15:32 Al-Mabhouh's room number and the number of the room opposite is communicated to rest of the team.
15:51 Mr Elvinger arrives at nearby hotel and visits business centre where he makes a call to the al-Bustan hotel and books room 237 which is directly opposite al-Mabhouh's. He also books a flight to Munich via Qatar.
16:23 Al-Mabhouh leaves his hotel.
16:25 In the next half an hour Mr Elvinger, Miss Folliard and Mr Daveron arrive at the Al-Bustan hotel and visit room 237.
18:30 Two "execution teams" arrive at the hotel and go straight to room 237.
19:30 Mr Elvinger leaves the country via Dubai airport.
20:00 Police believe that a number of the suspects attempted to enter al-Mabhouh's room by trying to reprogram his electronic door lock which is later picked up via the hotel's internal computer system.
During this time Mr Daveron is seen in the corridor approaching another hotel guest. Police believe during this exchange he was signalling to the team to stop attempting to hack the door system.
20:24 Al-Mabhouh returns to his hotel and goes to his room.
20:27 Miss Folliard and Mr Daveron are seen monitoring the hallway as execution team act.
In the next twenty minutes the assassination is believed to have taken place.
20:46 The two execution teams are seen leaving the hotel while Miss Folliard leaves a minute later with another suspect.
20:51 Mr Daveron leaves the hotel followed by the surveillance teams.
At 1:30 hotel staff find al-Mabhouh dead in his room with the door locked from the inside and the chain in place.
The majority of the suspects leave the country within two hours of the murder.
Initial medical reports state the cause of death due as an increase of blood pressure on the brain but a police investigation later determines that he was murdered.

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