Australian passports in Hamas hit duplicated or altered, Stephen Smith says
- The Australian
- February 25, 2010
AUSTRALIA has warned Israel it would regard any involvement in the forging or abuse of Australian passports for the killing of a Hamas militant as "not the act of a friend".
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told parliament this morning that three Australians suspected in the assassination of Hamas militant Mahmud al-Mabuh in Dubai last month appear to have been the victims of passport fraud.
The assassination has been linked in the media by Dubai police to the Israeli security agency Mossad.
Mr Smith said ASIO and the Australian Federal Police were investigating the probable identity fraud involving Australians Nicole Sandra Mccabe, Adam Marcus Korman and Joshua Daniel Bruce.
Mr Korman, who like the other two Australians lives in Israel, has denied any involvement, while Ms McCabe's mother says her daughter is heavily pregnant.
``Preliminary analysis by the Australian Federal Police together with the Australian Passport Office shows that the three Australian passports appear to have been duplicated or altered,'' Mr Smith said.
``At this stage Australian officials have no information, no information to suggest the three Australian passport holders were involved in any way other than as victims as passport or identity fraud''.
In his strongest comments on the matter, Mr Smith said Australia made “no conclusions” about the investigation into the killings but said it would appear a serious abuse of Australian passports had occurred.
Mr Smith called in Israeli ambassador Yuval Rotem this morning, urging Israel to "fully co-operate" with the Australian investigation.
“If the results of that investigation cause us to come to the conclusion that the abuse of Australian passports was in any way sponsored or condoned by Israeli officials, then Australia would not regard that as the act of a friend," Mr Smith said.
“Australia, of course, is a longstanding friend of Israel”.
Mr Smith said the passports were all issued in 2003, and since then there had been major improvements in passport security.
``The Australian government condemns in the strongest possible terms the misuse and the abuse of Australian passports,'' he said.
The three Australians involved have been offered consular assistance.
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