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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Police Arrested 3 Suspects in Eid's Murder |
| 2008-01-29 |
| National Police Chief Brig. Gen. Ashraf Rifi uncovered that the vehicle used in the assassination of Maj. Wissam Eid, one of Lebanon's top terrorism investigators, was rigged with 75 kilograms of explosives. Rifi told the Jeddah-based Okaz newspaper that the amount used in Friday's bombing was the biggest to be used since the series of assassinations began in 2005 with the killing of former Premier Rafik Hariri. He said investigators were able to determine the brand of the car and its chassis number. Rifi said three suspects were arrested at the crime scene in the Chevrolet neighborhood of Hazmieh east of Beirut Meanwhile investigators were trying to determine if the latest bombing was part of a string of attacks that have targeted leading anti-Syrian politicians in the past three years, a security official said. Eid was one of the country's top terrorism investigators who was probing assassinations of prominent anti-Syrian figures and a series of other attacks in recent years, including Hariri's murder. Eid, 31, worked for the police intelligence agency which is closely tied to the government and had survived two previous assassination attempts. Friday's attack also killed his bodyguard and three passers-by and wounded around 40 people. Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, whose government is locked in a fierce power struggle with the Hizbullah-led opposition, vowed to pursue "the criminals who planned and carried out this crime which is aimed at destroying the state security institutions." "The road to independence is fraught with dangers and filled with sacrifices," Saniora said. Police investigators on Saturday collected fingerprints and bits of shrapnel and debris from the car at the explosion site in an effort to discover clues, including the vehicle owner. Rifi also vowed to continue the fight against terrorist groups. "Our choice is to defend this country. Our decision is to continue our march to confront the empire of death and terror," Rifi. As a senior officer in the intelligence department, Eid had handled "very important" files including "all those having to do with the terrorist bombings," Rifi said. His work in the technology field was believed to include sifting through millions of telecommunication tips and cellular phone contacts as part of those investigations. The police intelligence department Eid worked for is close to the anti-Syrian majority that controls Lebanon's government and parliament and it and has been often criticized by the pro-Syrian opposition. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Arrest the usual suspects. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-01-29 04:43 |