Arafat's Body Exhumed; Experts To Investigate If He Was Poisoned

The remains of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat were exhumed from his grave on Tuesday -- eight years after his death at age 75 -- as part of an investigation into allegations that he was poisoned, according to official Palestinian radio.

The remains were taken from the massive mausoleum in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where Arafat was buried, and moved to a nearby mosque so that Palestinian doctors could take samples from his bones, Palestinian officials told The Associated Press.

The samples will be handed over to French, Swiss and Russian experts who have flown in for the exhumation and who will examine them in their home countries, the officials said. They said samples were taken earlier from Arafat's bedroom, office and personal belongings.
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