Polonium found in Arafat's toothpaste

Items bearing a picture of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat are displayed at a curio shop in the West Bank city of Ramallah July 4, 2012. The Palestinian Authority agreed on Wednesday to the exhumation of Arafat's body after new allegations that he was poisoned with the radioactive element polonium-210 in 2004. (REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)

An unusually high dose of polonium has been found in the toothpaste that belonged to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Sky News reports.

Results of tests conducted at a Swiss laboratory to probe into the cause of Arafat’s sudden death can confirm rumours that Mr. Arafat was poisoned. If that happens, his body will be exhumed so that further tests could be carried out.

Francois Bochud, head of the Institute of Radiation Physics at the Lausanne University, has claimed that tests revealed higher levels of polonium in Arafat’s belongings, provided by his widow.

He stressed however that it was necessary to exhume and analyze Arafat’s remains.

The Palestinian leadership is now debating whether to authorize this exhumation. They are to announce their decision in the next few days to come.

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