Yasser Arafat's widow files murder case in France
Gravely ill and more than a little unsteady on his feet here shortly before his death. Not long afterwards Yasser Arafat was rushed to a military hospital in France after he collapsed in the West Bank, his health swiftly declined and he died in 2004. His wife, Suba, had always suspected foul play and now she's clear. It was murder. She's urged officials to exhume the body of the late leader of the Palestinian National Authority,after reports that traces of polonium were found on some of his clothing. The very same substance used to kill the former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, in London 6 years ago.So Suba Arafat believes her husband was poisoned. French doctors, however, said he died of a massive stroke and had suffered from a blood condition.
Now she and her daughter, Zahwa, have asked their lawyer to file papers with a French court, accusing a person or persons unknown of premeditated murder. The lawyers declined to comment today, but Pierre-Olivier Sur made the last public comment about the case on July the 10<sup>th: "From the moment that there is poison in the body, there is a possibility that cannot be set aside which is that Yasser Arafat was poisoned. The first step is to know if there is indeed poison in the body. There are sufficient clues that allow us to believe that."
His statement today said that the request to the court was for the family to "establish the truth in honor of their husband and father." A French judge will still have to decide whether to accept the complaint and open a police investigation.