Report: Takfiri Groups Seeking Abduction of Civilians in Exchange for Roumieh Inmates
An armed takfiri group has started training to carry out abductions of civilians in villages in northern Lebanon in exchange for the release of Roumieh Prison inmates, reported al-Akhbar newspaper on Thursday.
Intelligence reports from major European countries told Lebanese security agencies that the takfiris are preparing to attack one of the villages, kidnap a number of civilians, and then carry out negotiations with the Lebanese government to release Islamists held in Roumieh.
Failure to comply with their demands will force the kidnappers to begin killing the captives, added al-Akhbar.
The takfiris are training in the Wadi Jahannam region in the North, it revealed.
Residents living close to the area have reportedly heard gunshots coming from the region.
The army command soon deployed patrols in the area in anticipation of any security incident.
Politicians have also revealed that preparations have been taken on the ground in various regions in order to protect any potential targets of terrorist attacks.
Earlier in July, security agencies were able to avert a “terrorist scheme” by Syrian opposition groups aimed at ensuring the release of Islamist inmates in Roumieh.
The groups were also seeking to commit a massacre in the Bekaa town of Nahle that would lead to secretariat strife in Lebanon, added As Safir newspaper on July 19.
Also in July, self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi vowed to release Muslim “hostages” from jails in Arab countries, including Lebanon, and promised to “liquidate their butchers.”
The shadowy jihadist said the “butchers” include judges, security forces and guards.
Al-Baghdadi heads the Islamic State (IS) group, which led a lighting offensive in Iraq that has overrun swathes of five provinces north and west of Baghdad.
The IS accuses the Lebanese state of being a U.S. and Israeli ally.
In June, the emir of the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front in al-Qalamoun promised in an audio message to free Islamist prisoners in Roumieh “within days.”
The threats come amid strong measures taken by security forces and the army around Roumieh over an alleged plot to carry out a truck bombing and a plan by prisoners to escape from the facility.
The authorities have announced the arrest in the past weeks of several suspected terrorists plotting to carry out suicide bombings in Lebanon.
M.T.
H.K.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/141238 |