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Israelis: Weapons smuggled from Iran, Iraq on Arafat chopper

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, April 23, 2002

RAMALLAH Ñ Israeli military sources said documents and material found in the Ramallah office of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat point to weapons and material either sent or modified by Baghdad and Teheran. The weapons and material were apparently smuggled in Arafat's helicopter during his frequent trips abroad, the sources said.

The material found in Arafat's headquarters also raised the prospect that the PA are preparing to develop chemical weapons. The sources said the material confirms documents that referred to plans to research and develop biological and chemical weapons.

Among the weapons found in Arafat's compound were rocket-propelled launchers of Soviet origin, Middle East Newsline reported.



The RPGs were modified by Iraq to increase their range.

Iranian weapons were also found in the PA offices. The sources said these included Iranian-produced anti-tank rocket grenades.

The nonconventional material found in Arafat's headquarters included several liters of bromine. Bromine is highly volatile and poisonous and a small amount could kill people in a closed area.

The Israeli Ma'ariv daily reported on April 19 that Israeli forces found the bromine buried in a sandbox. The chemical was evacuated by the military's Technological and Logistics unit.

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