What Killed Arafat?

The results of a nine-month investigation into what killed the late Palestinian leader.

Al Jazeera has spent nine months investigating the cause of Yasser Arafat's death, which after more than seven years still had not been positively identified.

The material presented here includes the late Palestinian leader's medical file from the final weeks of his life; it includes reports from doctors in both Ramallah and in France, where he ultimately died. Al Jazeera was also given access to his final belongings, everything from his slippers to his iconic kaffiyeh.

All of this was reviewed by some of the top forensic pathologists in the world, in Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Their investigation found abnormal levels of polonium, a rare and highly radioactive substance, on Arafat's belongings, most of which were stained with his bodily fluids - suggesting that the radioactive substance might have been inside his body.

As a result of the investigation, his widow, Suha Arafat, is calling to exhume his body and conduct further tests.

The full medical file, and the final report from the laboratory in Switzerland, can be found here.

DOCUMENTS INFORMATION:

  • Arafat's complete medical file, including reports on haematology, biochemistry, toxicology and other studies;
  • medical imagery, including CT scans
  • The final report on his personal belongings.

 

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The Al Jazeera Transparency Unit (AJTU) was formed to mobilize its audience - both in the Arab world and further afield - to submit all forms of content (documents, emails, photos, audio & video clips, as well as "story tips") for editorial review.

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About What Killed Arafat
  • Arafat's complete medical file, including reports on haematology, biochemistry,
  • Toxicology and other studies.
  • Medical imagery, including CT scans.
  • The final report on his personal belongings.
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