In Lebanon's camps, rising sympathy for Islamists
Recent battles between Lebanese police and Fatah al-Islam militants anger local residents.
from the May 31, 2007 edition
Page 4 of 4
Although the bulk of Fatah al-Islam is holed up in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, they have an unknown number of militants and sympathizers operating elsewhere in Lebanon. Two of them, residents of Tebbaneh, blew themselves up last week when cornered by police.
Another Tebbaneh resident, Mahmoud al-Jassem, led a small Fatah al-Islam cell in Tripoli. He was killed during a fierce gun battle with Lebanese security forces in Tripoli on May 19.
"Poor areas like Tebbaneh always welcome extremist groups," says Sheikh Ibrahim Salih, a prominent cleric in Tripoli. "The Islamic extremists don't have to go to Tebbaneh, Tebbaneh goes to them."
In a grim warning, Abu Hurreira, a senior commander in Fatah al-Islam, said last week that the group was prepared to "blow up Beirut and every other place in Lebanon" if the army carries out its threat to storm the camp and crush the militants.
"In addition to the supporters of the organization, Fatah al-Islam has bases and sleeper cells in all the Palestinian refugee camps in the various regions of Lebanon, and they are on alert [to launch] a harsh response. They await a sign from us."
On Monday, Lebanese police said that a tip from a captured Fatah al-Islam fighter led them to a Beirut hotel where they arrested a Saudi national.
Police described the unnamed man as a "terrorist mastermind" who was found with 10 different passports, lists of targets, and maps.
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