Washington - A Polish court has ruled to uphold an earlier decision to hand over to Germany alleged Mossad agent Uri Brodsky, who is suspected of forging passports used in the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Januar, BBC News reported Thursday. In July, Brodsky appealed to a Warsaw court to extradite him to Israel rather than Germany, The Associated Press reported. Brodsky was arrested in a Polish airport in June on a warrant issued by Germany.
Brodsky is suspected of "helping to forge a German passport used in connection with the murder of a Hamas operative in Dubai," BBC said.
Germany daily Der Spiegel reported that alleged Mossad agent Brodsky helped another agent apply for a German passport in the spring of 2009. A passport was issued in the name of Michael Bodenheimer - one of the names among Dubai's suspects.
Hamas leader Mabhouh was murdered in Dubai, and the Emirati authorities are "99% sure that members of the Israeli intelligence agency were involved," BBC said. In recent months, reports that Mabhouh's assailants used of forged European and Australian passports have come out, prompting the UK to deport a Mossad liaison in March.
After his arrest, a Polish district court order Brodsky - which may or may not be his real name - extradited to Germany on forgery charges alone, though the German warrant charged him with "espionage and helping to falsely obtain a German passport," AP said. Under the July 7 ruling, Germany could not prosecute Brodsky for spying, as "espionage against Germany is not a punishable crime in Poland," the report continued.
Brodsky's lawyers then filed an appeal to send him back to Israel.
A lawyer for Brodsky, Krzysztof Stepinski, said in July that he believed "strongly ... that he will be [sent] back to Israel."
At the time of Brodsky's arrest, Israeli trade minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer told Der Spiegel, "Our commitment is to keep him from extradition" to Germany. Ben-Eliezer went on to say that if Brodsky is sent to Germany for prosecution it will have an ill effect on German-Israeli relations.
Uri Brodsky will reportedly be delivered to Germany within 10 days, Der Spiegel said. The German newspaper did not specify to what extent Brodsky would be prosecuted for forgery and/or espionage.
