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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| 14 Charged with terrorist acts as al-Qaida invades Lebanon | |
| 2007-06-20 | |
The daily As Safir on Tuesday said Lebanon's military prosecutor Judge Jean Fahd has charged 14 people with setting up a terrorist cell in east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley town of Bar Elias. It said
In a related event, As Safir branded as "invasion" the spread of the Islamic paramilitary al-Qaida organization in Lebanon. However, it said, terrorist operatives working for al-Qaida were being pursued by Lebanese authorities. On June 8, Lebanese border police at the Masnaa border crossing in eastern Lebanon detained 12 men as they tried to enter the country with forged foreign passports. The arrests came a few days after three detainees, apprehended in Bar Elias, testified that they belonged to al-Qaida. A statement by the General Directorate for State Security had said the detainees also confessed to rigging three vehicles with explosives. Lebanese troops had discovered the booby-trapped cars during a raid on a hideout in Bar Elias. As Safir said the three detainees were "very dangerous." An Nahar newspaper had identified them as Fahd Bin Abdulaaziz al-Meghamis, from Saudi Arabia, and Syrians Ahmed Mohammed Osseili and Mohammed Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahim. As Safir said Lebanese military experts were surprised at the way the bombs had been "very delicately assembled" and at the use of "unfamiliar digital techniques." Lebanese security forces were only able to dismantle the rigged cars with the help of Fahd Bin Abdulaaziz al-Meghamis, who was described by the army as an expert, the daily said. A big amount of 500-Euro bills, apparently planned to be spent on recruiting young men with "terrorist tasks aimed at destabilizing security," was found and confiscated from the Bar Elias network, according to As Safir. It said further evidence that al-Qaida was swelling in Lebanon came from another source -- the alleged confessions made to the police by Saudi detainee Abdullah Beeshi, who was arrested a few hours after the Feb. 13 Ain Alaq bus bombings. As Safir said Beeshi, who left Saudi Arabia for Iran towards the end of July 2006 upon instructions from two al-Qaidi members, met with Abu Mohammed, a Kurdish-Iranian, in the presence of Saudi Abdul Rahman al-Yehyi in an Iranian city. About one month later, Beeshi traveled to Lebanon, where he was met by Abu Baker, a Lebanese, upon arrival at Rafik Hariri airport, As Safir reported. It said Abu Baker escorted Beeshi to the house of sheikh N.R. in the northern port city of Tripoli, where Yehyi, who goes by his nom de guerre of Talha, was waiting for him. The daily said Talha had landed in Lebanon two weeks ahead of Beeshi. At that meeting Beeshi was introduced to the brother-in-law of Fatah al-Islam's leader Shaker Absi as well as to Saudi Abu Rishaj, who was recruiting young Saudis to join Absi's terrorist group at the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared, according to As Safir. It said that while preparations were underway to send Beeshi to Iraq, the Saudi detainee, together with Absi's brother-in-law, identified as Syrian Hani al-Sankari, were "transporting weapons and explosives" provided by Absi, who was hiding in Nahr al-Bared, according to Talha. As Safir said only three hours after the Ain Aalq twin blasts, authorities arrested Beeshi and Sankari as they tried to cross into Syria through the northern border crossing at Abboudieh. However, the paper said, in contrast to earlier belief that the two men had been arrested in connection with the Ain Alaq bomb attack, investigation showed that Beeshi and Sankari were not linked to the bus bombings. It said testimonies of four other detainees uncovered their involvement in the Ain Alaq assault. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 "Fahd Bin Abdulaaziz al-Meghamis, who was described by the army as an expert" And just who TAUGHT him his expertise? "the alleged confessions made to the police by Saudi detainee " I wonder if AI vetted their interrogation procedures. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-06-20 07:41 |