The father of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh holds up a family photo showing his son, centre, at their home in the Jebaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. (Hatem Moussa/Associated Press)

Canadian government officials say they are looking into claims that a suspect in the killing of a Hamas leader in Dubai earlier this year was arrested in Canada in June.

One official told CBC News that the RCMP is "pretty sure" they were not involved in the purported arrest and that an RCMP check with Interpol failed to turn up any information about it.

The official said the RCMP is trying to determine whether the arrest might have been made by a local police force.

An official government statement released later Tuesday said only that "we can't comment on operational matters."

Lt.-Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the Dubai police chief, told broadcaster Al-Arabiya that Canada informed United Arab Emirates officials back in June about the arrest but asked that it not be announced. He claimed that officials are covering it up.

"I am astonished," he said. "Why this attempt to cover up on this issue? We must act transparent, reliably and quickly in such cases."

In June, suspected Israeli Mossad agent Uri Brodsky was arrested at Warsaw airport in Poland in connection with the case. He faces charges in relation to forged passports used by suspects in the Jan. 19 slaying of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh at a hotel in Dubai.

Police in the United Arab Emirates said the elaborate hit squad linked to the killing of al-Mabhouh involved some 25 suspects, most of them carrying fake passports from European nations and Australia. Police believe the squad was sent by the Mossad spy agency.

Israel has said there is no evidence linking it to the killing of al-Mabhouh.

With files from The Associated Press