French prosecutors have opened a murder enquiry into Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s 2004 death near Paris following claims he may have died of polonium poisoning, sources said on Tuesday.
The probe comes after Arafat’s family launched legal action in France last month following reports the veteran Palestinian leader may have died from radioactive polonium.
Arafat’s widow Suha and his daughter Zawra lodged a murder complaint on July 31 in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Arafat died at age 75 at a military hospital near Paris in 2004.
“A judicial murder inquiry has been opened, as expected following the complaint from Mrs. Arafat,” a source close to the matter said.
Confirming the enquiry, Pierre-Olivier Sur, a lawyer for Arafat’s widow and daughter, said they were “happy” at the decision but would not comment further “so as to leave the judges to lead all investigations necessary to find the truth....”
The Palestinian Authority also welcomed the move, with senior Palestinian official Saeb Erakat expressing hope that “we will reach the full truth on Arafat’s death and who stands behind it.”
