 A UN investigation is closer to understanding the circumstances surrounding former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri's assassination, and believes some of the perpetrators may have been involved in terrorism before, according to a report released Tuesday.
| Do tell? That comes as such a... ummm... what's the antonym for "surprise"? |
Chief investigator Serge Brammertz said his team would meet with Syria's President Bashar Assad and Vice President Farouq Sharaa in the coming month as part of its investigation into the February 14, 2005, explosion that killed Hariri and 22 other people. He said Syria had promised more cooperation but he would wait to see whether it delivered.
| The phrase "over their dead bodies" springs to mind, but I don't want to get too hopeful... |
Brammertz's team said the blast was so meticulously planned that it probably was not the work of an inexperienced group. One theory is that a truck bomb killed Hariri, though investigators are also examining whether the bomb was buried in the road and detonated as his car passed. "The individuals who perpetrated this crime appear to be very 'professional' in their approach," the report said.
| Y'mean they probably did something similar in the past? Reeeeeeeaally? Wowzers. Who'da thunkit? |
"It must be assumed that at least some of those involved were likely experienced in this type of terrorist activity." Brammertz did not disclose many details about the investigation in his first report since becoming chief of the commission investigating Hariri's death. The lack of information was a marked contrast to the details delivered by his predecessor, Detlev Mehlis, who publicly and exhaustively described his theories about the explosion. Brammertz did not repeat Mehlis' conclusions that the killing could not have happened without the knowledge of senior Syrian and Lebanese intelligence officials. It was not clear if he disagreed with Mehlis or just did not want to discuss those details because of the sensitivity of the probe. |