 FBI agents on Wednesday joined in the investigation into the latest of a spate of explosions in Lebanon, examining the site where a bomb tore threw a car and maimed a prominent TV anchorwoman. The Lebanese government had asked for U.S. help in trying to crack the mystery surrounding the explosions in recent months, the last of which targeted political talk show host May Chidiac of a popular TV station which had taken a line opposed to Syria.
| Good move. They're obviously getting nowhere relying on the master investigators of the local Sûreté... |
Three men arrived at the site of Sunday's explosion near the port city of Jounieh north of Beirut to examine Chidiac's bombed out vehicle. Wearing gloves, one sifted through debris and collected fragments while another shot pictures as an accompanying woman took notes. Journalists were kept behind a police cordon about 10 meters (yards) away and team members declined to respond to their attempts to get a comment. A black box carried by a team member was marked "explosives unit" with the Washington, D.C., address of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Armed Lebanese police, who had sealed off the area since Sunday, provided security for the team.
| I'll bet that made them feel... ummm... secure. |
A U.S. Embassy official declined to discuss the matter Wednesday, other than to say that "the U.S. is happy to respond positively to requests from the government of Lebanon." The official did not wish to be named, but U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman said Tuesday the U.S. team was to assist the Lebanese in the investigation and provide technical expertise.
| "I mean, hell, we couldn't do any worse, could we?" |
Meanwhile, the chief U.N. investigator into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, met with Prime Minister Saniora. Details of their discussions were not disclosed, but Mehlis met late Tuesday with Justice Minister Charles Rizk. "What Mr. Mehlis told me is of such importance," Rizk told reporters Wednesday, that he had asked Saniora to meet with the German investigator as soon as possible. He did not elaborate.
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