Who Was Paying For Al-Mabhouh’ s Five-Star Room in Dubai?

On Jan. 20th, a top Hamas terrorist, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, was found suffocated to death in his room at a five-star hotel in Dubai. Since then, Dubai authorities have released surveillance video of the alleged killers, as well as details of the passports and credit cards they used. The United Arab Emirates has enlisted the help of Interpol and the resources of the Arab League to hunt them down. But remarkably little has been divulged about what al-Mabhouh himself — longtime orchestrator of murderous attacks on Israel, and known as a key link in weapons smuggling from Iran into Gaza — was doing in Dubai.

I recently visited Dubai, and dropped by the hotel where al-Mabhouh was murdered, the Al Bustan Rotana. It was an eye opening look at the luxury with which this traveling Hamas terrorist chose to surround himself. Below is a photo of tea in the lobby of the Al Bustan, at the Gazebo Lounge — where the waitresses wear skirts slit up to the thigh, fancy whiskey goes for $27 a pop, and the desserts include white chocolate creme brulee. More, on the luxuries and the questions they highlight about al-Mabhouh’s doings, in my column this week on Terrorist With A Five-Star Tab.