'Dangerous Terrorist' Sami al-Atrash Killed in Army Raid in Arsal

The fugitive Sami Ahmed al-Atrash died in hospital after he was critically wounded in an exchange of gunfire with an army patrol that raided his house in the Bekaa border town of Arsal on Thursday, state-run National News Agency reported.

“Atrash was wanted on multiple arrest warrants,” NNA said.

The army later issued a statement saying “following investigations, the Intelligence Directorate managed to locate the whereabouts of the dangerous terrorist Sami al-Atrash in the town of Arsal.”

“Atrash opened fire at the army patrol that raided his location in the town, which prompted it to respond in kind,” the statement said, adding that “he later died of wounds he sustained” in the clash.

“The slain terrorist was wanted on charges of preparing bomb-laden cars; firing rockets and mortars at Lebanese villages and towns; kidnapping citizens; taking part in killing four citizens in Arsal's Wadi Rafeq and several soldiers in Arsal's Wadi Hmayyed; and plotting to assassinate an officer with an explosive device,” the army announced.

Meanwhile, NNA said the army carried out another raid in Arsal in which "the fugitives Ali Younis Ezzeddine and his brothers Nasser and Mohammed in addition to eight Syrians were arrested."

The name of Sami al-Atrash had been mentioned for the first time in media reports claiming that he collaborated with Sameh Breidi in preparing the first car bomb that exploded in the Beirut southern suburb of Bir al-Abed, a Hizbullah stronghold.

Last month, Military Investigative Judge Nabil Wehbe interrogated detained cleric Sheikh Omar al-Atrash and issued an arrest warrant for him.

State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr had charged the cleric with “belonging to an armed terrorist group with the aim of committing terrorist acts; transporting suicide bombers; preparing and transporting cars, suicide vests, rockets and explosives; attacking the army in Majdelyoun and al-Awwali Bridge; firing rockets on Israel; and the possession of arms and explosives.”

Sheikh Omar al-Atrash is a cousin of Omar al-Atrash, the main suspect in the Rweiss and Bir al-Abed bombings who was reportedly killed in a blast that targeted his car at dawn on October 11, 2013.