Al-Mustaqbal: Rifaat Eid Supporters Behind Tripoli Clashes
People affiliated with the deputy head of the Arab Democratic Party, Rifaat Eid, were behind the deadly clashes that erupted between Sunnis and Alawites in the northern port city of Tripoli last Friday, al-Mustaqbal daily reported.
The newspaper said Tuesday there is “tangible proof” that a group of men affiliated with Eid were behind the eruption of violence between Tripoli’s districts of Bab al-Tabbaneh that is mainly Sunni close to former Premier Saad Hariri and Jabal Mohsen whose residents are Alawites allied with Hizbullah and Syria.
“Initial investigation revealed that the source of the dispute was a hand grenade tossed at a group of youth in Bab al-Tabbaneh. They were returning from a demonstration held in support of the Syrian people,” Al-Mustaqbal said.
It added that the hand grenade blast was followed by the exchange of heavy gunfire by both sides.
The daily quoted informed al-Mustaqbal movement sources as saying that Premier Najib Miqati should have waited for the results of the probe before throwing accusations at the Mustaqbal-led opposition.
Al-Mustaqbal has accused Miqati of hinting that it had sparked the fighting. But the prime minister denied he has made such remarks.
“Miqati knows very well who is behind this attack. Let him tell us why he hasn’t mediated with his allies and with those who came up with the cabinet line-up” to prevent strife, the sources said in reference to Hizbullah and Syria.
On Tuesday, Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr ordered the arrest of seven people involved in Tripoli’s clashes that left seven people dead.
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