Arafat's body exhumed in murder inquiry

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Marko Djurica / ReutersA person walks past tarps put up in front of the grave of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during the exhumation of his body in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday. Arafat's body was exhumed by a team of international experts trying to discover if he was poisoned, as many Palestinians believe.By NBC News staff and wire servicesUpdated at 4:45 a.m. ET: 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.

Follow @NBCNewsWorld 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. Several hours later, the remains were reburied.

The samples were handed over to French, Swiss and Russian experts who flew 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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