In light of the decision of Hamas’s leadership abroad to establish a committee to investigate the assassination of the martyr Mohammed Al-Zouari, responsible for the movement’s manufacturing projects,  a committee which includes the competent authorities concerned in the movement was formed in order to find the facts related to the assassination. During a conference held in Beirut, a detailed report of the events leading up to the assassination was announced to the public.  

Full details of the assassination are stated below:

First- the party responsible for the assassination:

It has become undeniably clear to us that the Israeli intelligence service (Mossad)  is the primary planner and executor of the assassination along with the cooperation of other security agencies.

Second: Details of the assassination process and its stages:

Stage 1:

Gathering preliminary information about the martyr:

A person who claimed to be a Hungarian citizen named “Chris Smith” went to the National School of Engineers university in Tunisia in July of 2015  where Al-Zouari  was studying for his doctorate degree. He met with “Smith” who claimed to be working for a media company and wanted to strike a deal with the university about the manufacture of UAVs to monitor and photograph oil pipelines remotely. “Smith”  offered Al-Zouari a project which he claimed belonged to the European Union, but Al-Zouari  refused to deal with him due to his suspicions about “Smith” and immediately informed his supervisor and colleagues at the university.  In the meantime, “Smith” repeatedly came to the university at different periods  and succeeded in involving  a number of students in the project and was able to establish communications with them.  He was also able to photograph the laboratories where Al-Zouari, along with his colleagues worked on the development of submarines and UAVs. “Smith” also succeed in steeling electronic information from one of the student’s personal computer who was helping Al-Zouari in his PhD research.

Stage 2:

Getting closer to the martyr and identifying the point of engagement with him through the journalist “M.H”

In June of 2016, the journalist, “M.H”, applied for a job and sent her autobiography to an online advertiser seeking help. Two days later, an acclaimed Swiss national named “Johan” called her and told her he would call her once again after a period of two and a half months. 

On June 27, 2016, “Johan” met  “M.H” met in Vienna, and introduced her to another person named “S.Z” who claimed to be a businessman responsible for the organization of events and said that he would  communicate with her in the future. On September 6, 2016, “S.Z” met “M.H” once again in Vienna and told her that his company will produce documentaries for six countries, including Tunisia, for the Malaysian TV One channel. The topics will focus on three main points (Aviation, medicine, leadership education) for 100 Euros per day. He instructed  her to pay close attention to Mohammed Al-Zouari, known for his excellence in the field of small aircrafts industry and accordingly “M.H” formed a team of acquaintances and relatives consisting of a (photographer, translator, and drivers) and photographed the first event in which the martyr participated in the area of ​​Samanga in the Zaghouan province, Tunisia, regarding aviation in the month of September 2016. “M.H” then continued to visit Sfax and filmed the activities of the Aviation Club which held from one or two monthly activities. She also established communications with the participants, particularly Al-Zourai’s assistant, and obtained valuable information about their activities, including the activities held by Al-Zouari. On 22/10/2016, “M.H” tried to interview Al-Zouari on the side-lines of the aviation event, and informed him that  it will be used for a documentary that will be broadcasted on the Malaysian channel in March of 2017. However, Al-Zouari refused to be interviewed  upon hearing the nature and purpose of the interview.

Stage 3:

Collection of information required for the assassination:

In this stage, which preceded the execution by several weeks, reports and statements were reported that the house of the martyr was observed and monitored by anonymous individuals of the following descriptions:

1. Two females repeatedly monitored the house of the martyr more than four times and security forces in the area were informed through a relative of Al-Zouari.

2- An unknown individual and his wife monitored the house more than once.

3- The wife of Mohammed Al-Zouari informed one of her relatives about two suspicious figures observing the house outside. The relatives approached  the two individuals who claimed to be from the water authority and a device they were holding while observing the house was seen with them. 

Third: Logistic preparation for the operation:

The logistic operation of the assassination was assigned to two groups who were recruited anonymously so they wouldn’t know each other.

The first group (“S.S”,”S.M”):

Was formed by recruiting “S.S” in August of 2016 after he to applied for a job opportunity that was advertised on Facebook belonging to a company named “Swiss Management” claiming to be a Swiss-based economic studies company with a branch in Austria. “S.M”, a friend of “S.S” was also recruited after the latter told him to apply for the same company.  The previously mentioned “S.Z”, now claiming to be “Fathi Medo”, started working with them along with Yohan, an acclaimed Dutch National, and asked them to  fulfil a number of orders  presented below:

1. To rent  two apartments ( one in the capital and the other in Sfax) for Arab journalists coming from abroad ( the apartment in  Sfax was rented in 10/2016 for one year).
2. To buy ( 2  Y-3 Samsung mobiles , 2 Orange mobiles , A pack of Tunisian-made cigarettes and a Tunisian newspaper) and to travel to Hungary to deliver them in (9/2016).
3. To go to the border area of Bushekka and look  for a restaurant or a café and to take photos of  it claiming that Uhan and Midu intend to hold  a business session in the restaurant with a group of  Arab people.

1. To rent two cars with  standard license plates  (non-tourist) with specific qualifications and when that failed, they were ordered to buy two cars with the same specifications. In (11/2016) two cars (white Hyundai H1 with nine seats and white Citroen c4) were purchased and registered under the name of (S.M.)
2. On 7/12/2016, they were ordered to clean the rented apartment and to equip it with food for three persons.

1. On 12/12/2016 , they were ordered to stop the two cars in one of the streets near the martyr’s house but S. S. and S. M. were suspicious as the two cars were registered under the name of S. M. ,so they refused and kept the two cars in the house of S.M’s father which aroused the anger of Midu who ordered them to sell the cars and hand over the house to the owner. Then, Uhan and Midu changed their phone numbers.

The second group: the group of (M.H.) which consisted of  her relatives and friends for the purpose of photographing and following up the martyr’s activities. When group one failed, Midu and S.Z. ordered M. H. to do the following:

1. To make a list of some luxurious hotels and restaurants in the capital to help the company’s team who will come to visit Sfax and the capital.

1. To rent two cars, and  to put one of the car’s keys in the second car and the second key behind the right front wheel to be used by the company’s team who will visit Sfax, and to film the parking places of two cars and send the photos to S.Z.

3-To leave the country immediately to meet Uhan in Hungary.

On 13/12/2016, M.H. accepted the orders and, along with her brother-in-law (A.S), rented two cars ( Renault Traffic and Kia of Canton ) and registered them under A.S’s name.  M.H. parked the two cars in the place and manner as ordered and travelled to Hungary on 14/12/2017.

The method of assassination and implementation:

The two main executors, S.Z. and another person, arrived with Bosnian passports through the airport to Tunisia  and went to Sfax on the morning of 15/12/2016. The two executors stayed in Twins Café near the Martyr’s house from 11:30 to 13:20 then left the café in a grey Renault Traffic driven by another man.

Three field groups were assigned in the assassination site and distributed in the following points:

The first:  At the beginning of the main street at the entrance of the side street leading to the Martyr’s house.

The second : To monitor the exit from the place of execution.

The third: The final switch point of the executing  group.

When the Martyr returned to his house from the medical center ( where he got laboratory test results) around 13:40, he was monitored by the first group.

When Al-Zouari  parked  his car and grabbed his cell phone and his keys with his hands, the Renault van approached his car from the right side and opened the sliding door of the van. The two men opened fire on him from a 9mm Browning pistol fitted with a silencer.

Al-Zouari was hit with a total of (8) lethal bullets in his upper jaw, neck, and heart. The bullets also penetrated the cell phone in his left hand and struck his left shoulder. Three additional bullets struck the house’s main gate and two other bullets hit the left side of his car.

Coinciding with execution phase,  two European sailors arrived by sea and left the port after getting the captain’s permission (though the sailors were not allowed to leave the port) and headed to a coffee shop where they sat for a period of time and made their way back to the port. Upon their arrival the local security forces arrested them, but under pressure from the authorities of their respective countries they were released.

Five:

Withdrawal:

After the assassination, the perpetrators  went to the third checkpoint where they were waiting for the vehicle parked at the exit of the side street from the rear. They took it and left the Renault Traffic vehicle, which the operation was carried out with, leaving three bullets and a bag containing two fire arms. Acidic liquid was poured on the handguns to remove the fingerprints.

A parked Kia Picanto was found  in  Sfax and a cell phone without a battery equipped with Tunisian SIM cards registered in the name of “S.S” were also found.

The assassinators then fled towards the coast of the city of  Sfax and are believed to have fled by sea to an unknown location.

Six:

Participants in the assassination:

Johan: A Mossad officer responsible for the unit in charge of the operation.

“S.Z” otherwise known by (Fathi Medo): An operations officer in the Mossad

The first group:  logistic preparation and support consisting of “S.S” – “S.M”

The second group: Responsible for  collecting information and serving as a logistics reserve consisting of “M.H” (Journalist) along with:

1- “A.N” (photographer)

2- “M.Q”  (translator)

3- “M.S” (driver)

4- “A.S” (driver) -her sister's husband- in addition to the workers in the car rental office consisting of:

- “B.B” (Office owner)

- “W.H” (Office employee)

- “Kh.M”  (Driver)

Executing group consisting of:

1- “S.Z” - Fathi Mido

2 - Anonymous individual  (described with a strong build)

3 - Two people from a European country

4- Renault car driver

5- At least two people in a Kia

6. In addition to an unspecified number of monitoring, and logistics group in the vicinity of the assassination.