Pro-Syria security chiefs detained in Lebanon
Four high-level security heads are arrested as part of ongoing UN probe into Hariri killing.
Lebanon
arrested the head of the president's guard and three ex-security chiefs Tuesday as suspects in February's assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, reports
BBC.
The detentions were the first major police action since the bombing that killed 21 people, including Mr. Hariri, points out
AP. That act sparked massive demonstrations last winter that led to Syria ending nearly three decades of military presence by withdrawing its troops from Lebanon in late April.
"The detentions in Beirut are the beginning of justice," Hariri's son, member of parliament Saad Hariri, told Arab news channel
Al Arabiya. "This is a start ... There will be more detentions."
BBC points out that all four detainees have "close ties to Syria," which was widely blamed for the blast. "Prime Minister Fuad Saniora
confirmed that the three pro-Syrian former security chiefs had been detained for questioning earlier Tuesday and that the guards' commander, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, had been summoned to appear before UN investigators," reports
The Associated Press.
"A close aide of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, [Mr. Hamdan] was the
only pro-Syrian security official to keep his job after parliamentary elections three months ago ushered in an anti-Syrian majority," reports
Reuters.
The four are being questioned by a UN team led by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, which is due to report his findings to the Security Council in the next few weeks. The investigative commission, headed by Mehlis began its work in June "after an initial UN fact-finding mission
found Lebanon's own probe seriously flawed and declared Syria primarily responsible for the political tension preceeding the assassination," explains the Italian
AKI news service.
Syria has denied any role in the bombing, but has been criticized for hindering the ongoing UN probe. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published on Sunday that his country would cooperate fully.
Former head of general security Jamil al-Sayyed, former internal security forces head Ali al-Hajj, and former military intelligence head Raymond Azar were reportedly seized in early morning raids, while Hamdan later turned himself in to the UN investigators.
The police also raided the house of former legislator Nasser Qandil.
BBC reports that the staunch Syrian ally was not at home, and that his wife said he was in Syria. Later in the day he returned from Syria and was met by police at a border crossing, reports
AP.
Qandil said at the border that UN investigators had asked him to appear for questioning. "They wanted to see me, but they did not say I am a suspect," he said, adding he regretted that the prime minister had called him a suspect. Qandil said he would cooperate with UN investigators. A
Reuters AlertNet report quotes him as saying: "This (accusation) is
based on erroneous information as part of an international intelligence conspiracy to destroy Lebanon's Arab identity."
"Some Lebanese welcomed Tuesday's moves, but some were worried the outcome of the investigation could fuel more unrest," according to
Reuters. When the UN investigation is complete, its findings and recommendations
will be passed to a Lebanese investigating judge who will decide whether or not to press charges, reports
The Times Online.
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