World | Yasser Arafat Arafat's Remains Exhumed in Secretive Operation Poison probe to test late leader's bone samples By Rob Quinn Posted Nov 27, 2012 1:47 AM CST Updated Nov 27, 2012 7:40 AM CST Copied In this Saturday, Oct. 2, 2004 photo, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is seen at his compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah. He died the following month. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen, File) Yasser Arafat was exhumed from his West Bank grave today as experts seek clues in the Palestinian leader's 2004 death in Paris, the AP reports. France opened a murder investigation earlier this year amid reports that highly radioactive polonium was found on his personal effects. French, Swiss, and Russian experts will test samples from Arafat's bones, though since polonium decomposes rapidly, his death may well remain a mystery. The Guardian takes a close look at the secretive operation: Arafat's body was dug up in the pre-dawn hours, with large tarps hung around the site to shield it from prying eyes. It took a while to reach Arafat's remains, as workers had to drill through concrete to get to the coffin. Once forensic experts and a doctor could finally see the corpse, they decided not to remove it entirely, based on the state it was in. Instead, they took samples that will be investigated, and six hours after his body was dug up, it was quietly reburied. Read These Next Beyonce leaves national anthem unfinished. A space capsule carrying ashes of 160 people crashed in the ocean. A lesson in minding your own business ... at 30,000 feet. Trump signs bill as protesters gather. Report an error