Dubai police may pursue Israel PM for Hamas killing

Hamas has blamed Israel for killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, one of its top military commanders, in a Dubai hotel last month. Israel has declined to comment.

Police in the United Arab Emirates have said they suspect a foreign "criminal gang" of killing Mabhouh in his hotel room, and are looking into the possible involvement of Israel's spy agency.

Dubai's police chief, Dahi Khalfan Tamim, told The National daily that the head of the Israeli government would be held personally responsible if Mossad were implicated.

"Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, will be the first to be wanted for justice as he would have been the one who signed the decision to kill al-Mabhouh in Dubai. We will issue an arrest warrant against him," he was quoted as saying.

Tamim gave no indication police had evidence against Mossad, but his comments to the newspaper reflect widespread belief in the Muslim world that Israel assassinated Mabhouh, who engineered the capture of Israeli soldiers in the 1980s.

Like most Arab countries, the UAE has no diplomatic ties with Israel and Israelis are routinely denied entry.