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Dr. Ashraf Marwan (right) and former Mossad chief Zvi Zamir. (Archives) Last update - 14:17 30/06/2007 Report: Associate of Egyptian Mossad spy says he fell to his death By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent An Egyptian newspaper reported Saturday that an Egyptian spy for Mossad whose body was found Wednesday in London died after losing his balance falling from the balcony of his home. The body of Dr. Ashraf Marwan, who warned Israel ahead of the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, was found on the sidewalk near his apartment in Carlton House Terrace in London. The Al-Aharam newspaper Saturday quoted an associate of Marwan as saying that one of Marwan's friends had seen him on the balcony of his home, lose his balance and fall to his death. Advertisement According to the same friend, Marwan's health had deteriorated of late and he had begun using a cane as he would frequently lose his balance. Another associate of Marwan, however, said that the railing on the balcony was too high for him to have fallen. British police investigating Marwan's death have described the circumstances surrounding it as "suspicious." At the time, Marwan was in the apartment with his housekeeper who told police that she had not heard a thing. At approximately 4 P.M., she heard a knock on the door and someone told her Marwan's body had been found on the sidewalk. A gag order has been imposed on the investigation and investigators noted the testimonies of neighbors and acquaintances. Marwan's friends told Arab media that the 63-year-old had been upset in recent weeks, after Justice Or's ruling had linked his name directly with Israeli intelligence. "He believed that there were official Egyptian sources behind this media campaign against him, and that behind it all there were plans to harm him," the friends said. Former Mossad head Zvi Zamir told Haaretz Thursday that "I have no doubt that reports published about him in Israel caused his death." The real damage, said Zamir, concerns the implications the case has for the future. "There are serious concerns about our ability to recruit quality sources in the future," the spy master said. Zamir, who questioned Marwan during a secret meeting held in London on the Friday on the eve of the 1973 war, said he had no idea whether the Egyptian had committed suicide or had been assassinated. "This is a matter to be investigated by the British police. But it is clear that the reports and the exposure of his name by Eli Zeira [who was head of Military Intelligence in 1973] have led to his death," Zamir said. Four years ago, Zamir and two retired senior Military Intelligence officers - Brigadier General Amos Gilboa and Colonel Yossi Langotsky - had asked Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz to initiate an investigation against Zeira. Mofaz refused the request and directed the three to the Attorney General's office. The group filed a complaint with Menachem Mazuz but nothing came of it. Recently, Supreme Court Justice Theodore Or ruled in arbitration over a law suit Zeira had filed against Zamir for slander. Or ruled that Zeira had indeed leaked the name of the agent to the press. Zamir insisted that "the attorney general should indict Zeira. He has our complaint and he also has the evidence from the ruling of the arbitrator [Or]." The former Mossad chief also said that, "The tragedy of this case is that the defense and intelligence establishment, including the defense minister and the law enforcement bodies, have proven to be impotent." During the past few years Marwan was busy writing his memoirs and said that the book would be titled "October 1973 - What took place." His book was expected to shed light on his activities in the Egyptian leadership and on the claims that he was a Mossad agent. If he did address this issue in his memoirs, he probably denied the charges. The British police are likely to try to locate the manuscript. A well-to-do businessman, Marwan had lived in London since the late 1970s. He was married to the daughter of the late Egyptian President Gamal Abd Nasser Bookmark to del.icio.us   Farewell ambassador Even the Arab envoys came to say goodbyeto Israel's UN ambassador Dan Gillerman. A tale of two mothers Israeli documentary 'To Die in Jerusalem' earns three Emmy nominations.   1.   betrayder 13:08  |  sarah 30/06/07   2.   Hard to believe 13:18  |  S 30/06/07   3.   Accident 15:22  |  leon 30/06/07   4.   Fall 16:02  |  MIchael T 30/06/07   5.   Tripe 16:07  |  Hannah 30/06/07   6.   #2, S 16:09  |  Hannah 30/06/07   7.   #1, Sarah 16:13  |  Hannah 30/06/07   8.   #2.. 16:51  |  Edith 30/06/07   9.   Ballistics 18:04  |  Mark Lincoln 30/06/07   10.   Mazuz???? 18:27  |  David 30/06/07   11.   The Gentleman who worked for the Mossad 20:21  |  Ricardo Kolbe 30/06/07   12.   Let him be 21:47  |  Realistic arab 30/06/07   13.   #12, Realistic Arab 22:40  |  Hannah 30/06/07   14.   "Realistic" Arab 23:15  |  Albert Seligman 30/06/07   15.   What a strange accident 23:31  |  KUTW 30/06/07   16.   This reminds me...Time for a Pollard article 23:37  |  Natallie Durson 30/06/07   17.   let him 10:14  |  kelly 18/07/08   18.   hey no. 3 19:45  |  Slippery Sam 19/07/08

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