Ramallah: Former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died after consuming an unknown poison, a Jordanian doctor claimed on Thursday.
Arafat`s medical reports suggest that he was poisoned by a toxic substance, but it was not examined at that time, Xinhua quoted Abdullah al-Basheer as saying.
Al-Basheer, who launched an inquiry into the case, was speaking to reporters in West Bank.
Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat`s successor, ordered a probe after al-Jazeera TV concluded in an investigative report that Arafat was poisoned with radioactive polonium.
To confirm the report, Arafat`s body needs to be exhumed for tests. The Palestinian leadership said it is ready to dig up Arafat`s remains for the probe.
Arafat died at a French hospital near Paris, three weeks after he was airlifted from his West Bank headquarters, where he spent his last two years.
IANS
