The remains of Yasser Arafat were exhumed today to determine if the former Palestinian leader was poisoned. Arafat died eight years ago, allegedly from a stroke.

Tissue samples were taken from Arafat’s remains and will be examined by a team of forensic experts from France, Switzerland and Russia.

James Starrs, professor of law and forensic sciences at George Washington University, directed or participated in the scientific investigations of many controversial figures including outlaw Jesse James and Albert DeSalvo, the Boston Strangler.

Professor Starrs says exhumation experts may never know fully whether Arafat was poisoned because it’s one of the hardest to detect.