Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too.
described on Wednesday Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs...
as a "beast," who should be brought to trial for taking part in liquidations and sending explosives to Leb.
"Assad is a beast who has lost humanitarian and political ethics" and will be eventually held accountable by the Syrian people, Hariri said in a statement issued by his press office in response to Syrian arrest warrants issued against him along with al-Mustaqbal
... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri...
bloc MP Oqab Saqr and Syrian opposition member Louay al-Meqdad on charges of "arming and financing terrorist groups in Syria."
The Syrian president "will also definitely appear before the Lebanese judiciary for he has participated in premeditated liquidation and terrorism operations, and has sent explosives to ignite strife among the Lebanese," the al-Mustaqbal movement chief said.
Assad will be brought to trial for "bloodshed in Leb, Paleostine and Iraq and for killing children and massacring the Syrian people, he added.
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said the Interpol's office at the Internal Security Forces received the warrants on Tuesday, almost two weeks after OTV and al-Akhbar newspapers aired and published audio recordings of Saqr allegedly discussing with a Syrian opposition member ways to supply rebels with arms.
But Saqr later denied the accusations, broadcasting the original audiotapes during a presser he held in Istanbul in which he claimed he was negotiating the release of Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria.
The Syrian warrants came a day after Leb's military tribunal called for Syrian security official Ali Mamlouk, an officer identified as Brig. Gen. Adnan and Assad's senior advisor Buthaina Shaaban to be summoned over their role in ex-minister Michel Samaha's plot to transfer explosives to Leb to carry out terrorist attacks aimed at igniting strife.
Mamlouk and Adnan have already been charged along with Samaha with plotting the attacks. The warrant says Shaaban should be summoned as a witness.