The suspects were part of an 11-person hit squad accused of killing the senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel room on Jan. 19. Police officials said the suspects, 10 men and one woman, carried European passports, including Irish, French and German ones. The 11 suspects are at large.

"We are aware that the holders of six British passports have been named in this case. We believe the passports used were fraudulent and have begun our own investigation," a British Foreign Office spokesman was quoted by The Times of London as saying. "We have informed the authorities in the United Arab Emirates that this is the case, and continue to cooperate closely with the Emiratis on this matter."

German and Irish officials previously issued similar statements. Ireland said the names in the three Irish passports did not match official records and Berlin said the passport number it was given is either incomplete or wrong.

The revelations only increase the mystery linked to the killing.

Observers in the Arab world quickly accused Israel and its spy agency Mossad, which has a long history of targeted killings of several Islamist leaders.

In 2004, Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin was killed with missiles from an Israeli helicopter in Gaza, a move strongly condemned by the United Nations. Hamas is the Palestinian Islamist movement ruling the Gaza Strip.

The Times quoted an Egyptian diplomat as saying that covert Israeli operations in the Middle East had increased.

"We watch their comings and goings; we are aware that there is more activity both on our ground and other countries in the region," the diplomat told the newspaper. "They are trying to embroil us all in their conflict."

But the case is not as straightforward as it may look on first glance.

Jordanian authorities a few days ago extradited two Palestinians to the United Arab Emirates, saying they were suspects in the murder case. They apparently had ties to Hamas and may have provided logistical support to the hit squad.

No matter who is responsible for the killing, it was executed professionally.

The hit squad surveyed Mabhouh before checking into a room opposite to that of Mabhouh in the luxury Al Bustan Rotana hotel. Dubai police said the Hamas leader, who had been living in Syria since 1989, was suffocated.

It's unclear why Mabhouh was in Dubai; the Hamas leader is believed to have organized weapons smuggling from Iran to the Gaza Strip.

Reports have indicated that he might have been on his way to meet with officials in Iran but Hamas has denied that.

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