JERUSALEM (JTA) — An alleged Israeli Mossad agent suspected of involvement in the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai returned to Israel after a German court released him on bail.
The suspect known as Uri Brodsky landed in Israel on Saturday night a day after his release by a court in Koln. Brodsky was allowed to leave Germany while the proceedings against him continue.
Reports have suggested that Germany will let Brodsky go with a fine since the Polish appeals court decided to extradite him on charges of forgery — for the illegal procurement of a German passport — and not for spying. The German court can only try him on the charge for which he was extradited.
The maximum sentence for forgery is three years in jail, according to reports. Haaretz cited unnamed Polish sources as saying that a secret deal has been cut in which Brodsky was allowed to return to Israel, where he is a citizen, with a guarantee that he will return to Germany if he is sentenced to jail.
Following the release, the United Arab Emirates expressed "concern" at Brodsky’s release while proceedings against him continue, and said it was seeking a clarification from Germany on why it released the alleged Mossad agent.
Brodsky, who reportedly has many aliases, was extradited from Poland to Germany on Aug. 12 after having been arrested at the Warsaw Airport in early June.
He is suspected of having helped another Mossad agent to illegally obtain a German passport as part of the plot to kill senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel room in January. Mabhouh co-founded the military wing of the Islamist Hamas movement and allegedly was in Dubai to conclude a weapons deal when he was killed.
Dubai police investigations reportedly pointed to the involvement of 33 people in the plot. They were placed on Interpol’s most wanted list, and Germany particularly sought Brodsky, according to reports.
The team allegedly used fake passports from England, Ireland, France, Australia and Germany.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it was involved in the assassination.
