Until a month or so ago, few people outside Dubai had even heard of the emirate’s police chief, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim. But after his investigation into the assassination of a senior Hamas official by an alleged Mossad hit squad, Tamim has emerged as a local hero and a star across the Arab world, praised for his relentless pursuit of what he says “with 99% certainty” is an Israeli crime.
“Greetings of love and appreciation for General Dahi Khalfan, God protect you from all evil,” an anonymous Iraqi wrote on al-Arabiyya.net website. “Congratulations to the Dubai police for this speedy and professional job, and hoping other Arab states can learn from your example,” gushed another blogger. “Inshallah [God willing] Dubai’s heroes will bring an end to Israel,” went yet another delighted post.
Beards, wigs, tennis gear
Pundits from Kuwait to Cairo watched in amazement as the little Gulf emirate produced CCTV images of everything but the actual murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh on January 19. Tamim coolly described the suspects wearing false beards, wigs and tennis gear as they shadowed the Hamas man at the airport and the five-star al-Bustan Rotana hotel — and then threatened to issue an arrest warrant for Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Dubai’s government and security apparatus have proved that crimes and murders are not allowed to pass unnoticed,” Lebanese commentator Elias Harfoush wrote in al-Hayat. Ahmed Tibi, an Israeli Arab MP, called Tamim “the real hero in this story” — responding to a Jewish colleague’s boast that the head of the Mossad deserved that accolade. Hamas and its Fatah rival, blaming each other for betraying Mabhouh, both expressed appreciation for Dubai’s sleuths.
Israel has refused to confirm or deny its involvement but has described Mabhouh as playing a key role supplying Iranian rockets and money to Hamas.
In the west Dubai may be a byword for vulgarity, greed and financial meltdown but it also represents modernity and efficiency. These qualities are rare in the Arab world, where secret policemen routinely beat suspects and rely heavily on informers.
“Dubai employs modern technology to uncover crimes,” said an Egyptian columnist.
Hard work, piety
Tamim (59) known as Abu Faris, trained in Jordan shortly after the UAE was created in 1971. He has a reputation for hard work and piety, visiting his mother before work every morning and reporting in person to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the ruler of Dubai, before he goes home.
Last year he won plaudits for solving the murder of Suzanne Tamim, a Lebanese singer killed on an Egyptian tycoon’s orders in her Dubai Marina flat. He also cracked the assassination of a Chechen warlord and the robbery of jewellery worth $3,8-million. The tackling of Israeli impunity is a big reason for Tamim’s current popularity, but he has also urged Hamas to investigate its own security breaches and refused to hand over two Palestinian suspects to the group.
Yet Dubai’s celebrity police chief may not welcome all the attention: one new Facebook fan is using the name and photograph of a “Peter Elvinger”, a French passport holder who was named as one of Mabhouh’s assassins and is thought to have commanded the team. “You are doing a very impressive work!” commented [the presumably spoof] Elvinger in a recent message. “I’ll be more careful next time.” – guardian.co.uk