h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am at a loss to understand just why HM's government is getting its knickers in a twist over the gentleman in Dubai. Di international assassains really think to themselves, "Oh dearie, dearie me, we really MUSTN'T use British passports to travel around the world incognito, that really WOULDN'T be 'on'!"

And why were HMG summoning the Israeli Ambassador? Do they have evidence linking Israel to this crime?

Thought it was quite funny though that the Hamas guy was also travelling under a false passport

But at least he had the decency not to use a 'British' one.

James Bond would be saying "bloody commoners,lowers the tone of spying and removal"

I think it's more about publicly panicking in case someone accuses the brtish passport of not being a secure method of proving your identity. I mean, it doesn't bode well for ID cards does it, if we cant keep a passport secure...

To distance ourselves? The arab countries see us as real or potential enemies, like the Israelis. So we try to demonstrate that it wasn't a British-Israeli plot?

The British passport is NOT proof of identity any more. I have just renewed mine (in Morocco) and my old passport is insufficient - I was told that I needed my birth certificate, which, incidentally, one can get by email!!!

I dont doubt that! It's a pride thing as well. I think there's some sort of feeling that the British Passport is supposed to represent some grand idea of british citizenship etc (and therefore be untouchable by grubby criminal hands of course...)

Also, yes there are diplomatic angles, although as far as I can tell from radio four's news coverage it's been pretty much accepted that the passports were forged, but by whom is the question.

It was mentioned on the radio the other day that it's common for agents to use false passports, it's more that you dont get caught using someone's passport that you dont have close allegiance with while carrying out assassinations...

Moonhogg/Hoggy, his daughter and his Mrs both had they're identities stolen for fake passports about a year and half ago. They couldn't do anything as such, because it was classed as a crime against the passport office and NOT them