Report: Duroy Jihadists Arrived from Istanbul, al-Hasan Gets $50K for Each Suicide Bomber

The suicide bomber who blew up an explosive vest at the Duroy Hotel and his accomplice had arrived in Lebanon from the Turkish city of Istanbul, a media report said on Friday.

“Abdul Rahman Nasser al-Shenifi, the would-be suicide bomber who survived (Wednesday's blast), told interrogators that he wanted to stage a suicide attack because he believes in 'the Sunni state',” LBCI reported.

Shenifi revealed he and his Saudi compatriot Ali Ibrahim al-Thwaini were supposed to blow themselves up at al-Saha Restaurant in Dahieh, a Hizbullah bastion, “within days,” before their plot was foiled by the General Security raid.

“Investigations revealed that al-Monzer al-Hasan, the man who provided the Duroy bombers with explosives, had visited them around four days prior to the hotel incident, accompanying them to an unknown destination for several hours,” LBCI said.

A number of employees at the hotel recognized al-Hasan from his circulated picture, according to the TV network.

“The two Saudi suicide bombers had been at the Duroy Hotel since June 15, after having arrived in Beirut from Riyadh via Istanbul's airport,” LBCI said.

“Investigators believe that Monzer al-Hasan has an assistant in Istanbul, who also helped the would-be suicide bombers,” the TV network reported, adding that the Saudi duo had spent around five days in Istanbul and that al-Hasan himself had traveled several times to the Turkish city.

The TV network said investigations have highlighted a “key role” for al-Hasan in several suicide bombings.

“It turned out that Monzer al-Hasan has links to several suicide bombers and bomb attacks and he acted as an intermediary between extremist groups and terrorists sent by them,” LBCI added.

According to investigators, al-Hasan receives $50,000 for facilitating the mission of every suicide bomber.

“He provides them with explosives, locates the target and takes care of their accommodation at hotels or other places,” LBCI said.

“He books their rooms through touristic agencies or firms and when the would-be suicide bomber arrives in Lebanon he would have Monzer al-Hasan's phone number and nickname and the latter would then guide him to hotel or specific place of residency,” it added.

“Two days before the operation, he would give him the suicide vest or bomb-laden car and tell him how to get to the target,” LBCI said.

On Wednesday, a Saudi suicide bomber detonated his explosives at his room in the Duroy Hotel in Raouche during a raid by General Security officers.

Wednesday's suicide attack was the third in Lebanon in less than a week and sparked fears of renewed violence in a country that has been deeply affected by the civil war in neighboring Syria.

Al-Hasan's picture was circulated by the General Security agency on Thursday.

Y.R.

S.D.B.