RELATED:Book says Nazi hunter Wiesenthal worked for MossadSurvey: 23% of Israelis forgive Germany for HolocaustThe paper’s headline read “New lead in the case of Barschel. Trace leads to Mossad” and drew parallels between the contentions of the former Mossad agent, Victor Ostrovsky, and the report issued by forensic specialist Brandenberger.The 89-year-old toxicologist said “the chemical findings indicate a murder.... Because of the complexity of the murder it must be assumed that a professional hit team, and not an individual, was at work.”Ostrovsky wrote in his 1994 book The Other Side of Deception: A Rogue Agent Exposes the Mossad’s Secret Agenda that Uwe Barschel was killed by a five-man Israeli assassination team.Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor issued a statement to the German news service DPA on Monday, saying “There’s no basis on which one could connect Israel to this case.”In terms of a new German investigation, Palmor said, “It’s not up to us to tell the German authorities what they should do or not do.”Palmor dismissed Ostrovsky’s contentions, saying “Half of what he says is lies, and the other half is invented.”Uwe Barschel was a member of the Christian Democratic Union and was governor of Schleswig- Holstein from 1982-1987. Engulfed in a political scandal because of his involvement in a mudslinging campaign against his opponent, Barschel resigned in 1987. Though Barschel denied participation in discrediting his Social Democratic opponent, it was revealed that he played a role in the campaign attacks.The Swiss authorities – including a number of forensic experts – concluded that the 43-year-old Barschel committed suicide by taking sleep medication in Geneva’s Beau-Rivage hotel, where he was found dead in the bathtub.Brandenberger argues in his pathology report that the killers gave Barschel powerful sedatives and then a lethal cocktail of drugs. According to Brandenberger, his report is based on an analysis of tissue and organs detailing the trajectory and timing of the several drugs.Germany’s media and legal system have pursued leads over the years to determine if Barschel’s death was a suicide or the result of foul play. The case has become something of an obsession over the years among German media and authorities. Brandenberger’s report is now fueling wild conspiracy theories about Israel in the blogosphere.The public prosecutor’s office in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, announced on Monday that it plans to reopen the Barschel case. According to a 1998 Lübeck prosecutor’s investigation, there were “discrepancies” in Ostrovsky’s account that did not provide credibility for his theory that the Mossad was responsible for Barschel’s death.
Israel denies any role in death of German politician
Berlin paper blames Mossad for assassinating Uwe Barschel in 1987 because of his supposed knowledge of Israeli-Iranian arms deals.
RELATED:Book says Nazi hunter Wiesenthal worked for MossadSurvey: 23% of Israelis forgive Germany for HolocaustThe paper’s headline read “New lead in the case of Barschel. Trace leads to Mossad” and drew parallels between the contentions of the former Mossad agent, Victor Ostrovsky, and the report issued by forensic specialist Brandenberger.The 89-year-old toxicologist said “the chemical findings indicate a murder.... Because of the complexity of the murder it must be assumed that a professional hit team, and not an individual, was at work.”Ostrovsky wrote in his 1994 book The Other Side of Deception: A Rogue Agent Exposes the Mossad’s Secret Agenda that Uwe Barschel was killed by a five-man Israeli assassination team.Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor issued a statement to the German news service DPA on Monday, saying “There’s no basis on which one could connect Israel to this case.”In terms of a new German investigation, Palmor said, “It’s not up to us to tell the German authorities what they should do or not do.”Palmor dismissed Ostrovsky’s contentions, saying “Half of what he says is lies, and the other half is invented.”Uwe Barschel was a member of the Christian Democratic Union and was governor of Schleswig- Holstein from 1982-1987. Engulfed in a political scandal because of his involvement in a mudslinging campaign against his opponent, Barschel resigned in 1987. Though Barschel denied participation in discrediting his Social Democratic opponent, it was revealed that he played a role in the campaign attacks.The Swiss authorities – including a number of forensic experts – concluded that the 43-year-old Barschel committed suicide by taking sleep medication in Geneva’s Beau-Rivage hotel, where he was found dead in the bathtub.Brandenberger argues in his pathology report that the killers gave Barschel powerful sedatives and then a lethal cocktail of drugs. According to Brandenberger, his report is based on an analysis of tissue and organs detailing the trajectory and timing of the several drugs.Germany’s media and legal system have pursued leads over the years to determine if Barschel’s death was a suicide or the result of foul play. The case has become something of an obsession over the years among German media and authorities. Brandenberger’s report is now fueling wild conspiracy theories about Israel in the blogosphere.The public prosecutor’s office in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, announced on Monday that it plans to reopen the Barschel case. According to a 1998 Lübeck prosecutor’s investigation, there were “discrepancies” in Ostrovsky’s account that did not provide credibility for his theory that the Mossad was responsible for Barschel’s death.