Al Mabhouh's assassination and the assassination of the Arab Spring

I believe that none of us will ever forget Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh. Al-Mabhouh, a member of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam brigades, was assassinated on January 19 2010 at the age of 50. The assassination took place at a hotel in Dubai where Al-Mabhouh was choked to death after having received an electric shock, none of which left any marks on his body. However, an autopsy later revealed that there were traces of poison in his body. The perpetrators set up the room to make it seem as if he died of natural causes and then left for European and Asian cities.

Twenty-seven individuals came in from six different European countries. All of them held foreign passports (twelve of them were British, six Irish, four French, four Australian and one German) and all of them passed security without difficulty. Three of them had landed by morning and the rest of the group flocked until nightfall in small groups of six people. The twenty-seven individuals were waiting for one person. They called this individual by his code name, ‘plasma screen,’ who could be none other than Al-Mabhouh.

Twenty-four members arrived to Dubai in the morning. The three others were the masterminds behind the operation. Two of them, Gail Boulird and Wayne Dibron, landed at approximately 2:09. They went to their hotel and were asked by reception to show their passport and credit card in order to pay for the room. They both found an excuse to pay in cash.

The significance of the details of the story is to demonstrate the size of the conspiracy against Al-Mabhouh and to prove that all this occurred with the cooperation of Dubai police, who intended to hit two birds with one stone. They provided this service to Israel in exchange for not only getting rid of Israel’s biggest enemy, but also to make it appear to the world that Dubai was capable of monitoring the terrorist group’s activity, after they had all landed safely at their destinations. They wanted to show that the police in Dubai have a high sense of security, that they are able to uncover all secret plans, and that there are cameras in all locations.

The main objective was to make Dahi Khalfan appear as a gallant hero who was able to expose the assassination plot and promote this idea through the media. Khalfan made appearances in television interviews, newspapers, and magazines until he was able to convince the Arab people that he is a brave Arab leader and nationalist. He was able to achieve his goal through the media. The terrorist group remains at large until now. The case has since been forgotten and Dahi Khalfan is still regarded as an Arab hero. Dahi Khalfan is considered a global figure that has garnered an incredible amount of admiration from his fans. Many groups have been created in his honour on numerous websites and social-networking outlets.

Dahi Khalfan’s main enemy is not Iran, despite the fact that Iranians occupy three of the UAE islands and Iranians constitute more than half of the United Arab Emirates’ population, by birth and accommodation. Furthermore, Israel is also not Dahi Khalfan’s main enemy, though he claims that they assassinated Mabhouh. He considers Israel to be a strong country that he is not capable of fighting. He has stated more than once that he will not hesitate to provide advice and support for Israel, should their security be threatened.

He considers his main enemy to be the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic movement; therefore, he believes that they should be eradicated and buried in the depths of the desert. These movements pose a security threat to the Gulf region as a whole. He has begun to arrest a large number of Islamists under false charges and has sentenced them to many years in prison. He mobilizes his forces and funds in Dubai and keeps in his company Dahlan and Shafiq, agents of Israeli and American intelligence, and every other person who hates religious groups. He was able to promote the coup in Egypt and overthrow the ruling regime with his monetary funds in order for Al-Sisi, and every other enemy of the religious faction, to gain power.

I would not rule out the possibility that Khalfan is behind several terrorist plots in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen, and by that I mean in every country of the Arab Spring, in order to promote conflicts among Arab armies and to destroy Arab unity. He will do this until he can clear his conscience and until he believes that the Gulf will continue to prosper without any threat from the Muslim Brotherhood. In that way, he can continue to enjoy the blessings of Gulf wealth without the risk of any honourable Emirati or Arab man asking him where he got his fortune. He is, after all, the master of his time and place.

I am afraid that tearing Egypt and Tunisia apart will not result in the eradication of the Muslim Brotherhood, for they are the people, and they are the majority. This will make the people hate the military and the military will enter a conflict among themselves therefore bringing an end to the myth of an Arab army. Thus, Israel will have peace for a hundred more years.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.