Israel’s Mossad lured an Iraqi scientist to the Philippines, where he was abducted and investigated over claims of links to the Islamic Palestinian Movement Hamas, sources close to Hamas told Quds Press on Wednesday.

The source said that 64-year-old Iraqi scientist Taha Mohamed al-Jabouri, who authorities in the Philippines announced earlier this week had been detained, was lost several months ago.

Later, the source told Quds Press, it was revealed that the Israeli Mossad had lured him to Manila through European and Asian people and companies used as fronts for its intelligence activities.

The source said that Mossad has intensified its surveillance of all Arab and Muslim scientists who specialise in science and IT, noting that Mossad hunted this man over suspicion he had relations with Hamas. They hus prepared a plan to lure, abduct and question him.

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According to the sources, Al-Jabouri was abducted and investigated for months, noting his abduction ended by the Philippines authorities’ announcement of his detention days ago.

On Monday, the Philippines’ National Police Director General Ronaldo Dela Rosa announced the detention of Al-Jabouri and claimed that this was over visa problems.

“He is an illegal foreigner whose visa has expired so he should be deported immediately,” the police chief said, noting he had “admitted he belongs to Hamas, a chemical scientist whose task is to develop missile technology adopted by the movement in firing rockets from its areas towards the Israeli side.”

Dela Rosa said that he would be deported to Iraq, noting that the Philippine authorities had dealt with a presumed Hamas activist for the first time.