Report: Army Seeking Arrest of Maarouf Hamieh for Mohammed Hujeiri's Murder
The army kicked off a security campaign to arrest Maarouf Hamieh, who confessed on Tuesday to the murder of Mohammed al-Hujeiri to avenge his son's death, reported As Safir newspaper on Wednesday.
An informed security source told the daily that the army considers Hujeiri's murder to be a violation of the law, regardless of the motivation behind it and that the father had avenged a slain soldier.
Mohammed Hamieh was among three servicemen who were executed by the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front and Islamic State groups after they were kidnapped from the northeastern border town of Arsal in August 2014 in wake of clashes in the area.
“The search for Maarouf Hamieh is taking place away from the motives of the crime,” said the source.
“The judiciary alone is qualified to look into the case,” it stressed.
Maarouf Hamieh confessed to killing Mohammed al-Hujeiri on Tuesday.
Hujeiri is the nephew of Mustapha al-Hujeiri, also known as “Abou Taqiyeh”, whom the Hamieh family accuses of having links to the al-Nusra Front and of being involved in the soldier's killing.
Tuesday's murder sparked tensions in Arsal, amid heavy security measures taken by the army in the town to avert any retaliatory actions.
M.T.
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