An Israeli man suspected of involvement in the slaying of a Hamas operative in a Dubai hotel in January will be extradited to Germany on suspicion of forgery, a Polish court has ruled.

Uri Brodsky, a suspected Mossad agent, is accused by Germany of spying and of helping to falsely obtain a German passport allegedly used in connection with the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

Wednesday’s decision by Tomasz Calkiewicz, the Polish judge, to extradite Brodsky over forgery allegations would mean that Germany can only charge him with that crime, which carries a sentence of three years.

Calkiewicz said that Poland cannot extradite him on espionage charges because spying against Germany is not a punishable crime in Poland.

Following al-Mabhouh’s murder, suspicion immediately fell on Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, but Israel has never officially commented on the killing and has refused to comment on Brodsky.