Officials: Conversations Intercepted between Arsal Militants, Tripoli Islamists and Roumieh Inmates

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Lebanese authorities have intercepted telephone conversations between the leaders of militants who captured Arsal, a town in northeastern Lebanon, over the weekend and inmates at Roumieh prison, security officials said.

The officials, who were not identified, told As Safir daily published on Thursday that the phone calls also involved some Islamists in the northern city of Tripoli and the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon.

Ain el-Hilweh is known to harbor extremists while many Islamists are imprisoned in Roumieh.

The officials identified two suspects with their initials as R.M. and A.M., saying they ran some operations in Arsal and Tripoli.

Most of the gunmen, who overran Arsal over the weekend after the arrest of al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front member Imad Jomaa, began moving toward Syria on Wednesday as a new 24-hour cease-fire was announced.

According to As Safir, around 2,000 terrorists had entered Arsal and that Abou Talal, the deputy of Jomaa, is negotiating on behalf of the fighters.

Scores of Lebanese soldiers were killed and injured in the five days of clashes.

In a sign of the conflict spreading further into Lebanon, Tripoli witnessed in the past few days attacks on the Lebanese army, sniper fire and an explosion.

Like Arsal, Tripoli is predominantly Sunni and many residents back the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels in Syria trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.

G.K.

H.K.

Comments 14
Thumb EagleDawn 07 August 2014, 08:30

No intercepts were ever done between those who plotted and assassinated Minister Shatah nor the color of the KIA used in the assassination has ever been published.

Thumb ex-fpm 07 August 2014, 08:33

what for, it was Israel.

Default-user-icon intercepter (Guest) 07 August 2014, 10:33

worse, it is common knowledge that the intercepts of the networks that killed Hariri implicated Hezb but no one cares...

Thumb _mowaten_ 07 August 2014, 15:44

lol@ your common ignorance, "intercepter". the "colored cells" (the "pink group", "green group") were built upon telecom metadata (after the lebanese telecoms databases had been under israeli control for several years).

There were no intercepts, as intercepts are usually done -before- the fact, when certain people are suspected and being monitored.

Supposition were made as to who the "colored cells" belonged to, but the STL wasnt even able to say who bought them, just that they were all bought in tripoli.

Thumb _mowaten_ 07 August 2014, 15:45

So yes, we care, but we care about facts, not foreign powers playing with us and shoving BS down our throats.

Thumb _mowaten_ 07 August 2014, 10:56

eagledown who controls the ISF and their intelligence branch? ask them to do something about it why dont you?

Thumb music66 07 August 2014, 09:13

How can you negotiate with people of any sect trying to ruin Lebanon. God bless the Lebanese army you the only heroes in this upheaval. Inshallah all militants will be caught and good riddance to them no matter where they hail from.

Missing imagine_1979 07 August 2014, 09:26

Does ur comment inclued our local khomaiinist millicia sending lebanese to jihadist duty to syria, irak?...

Thumb galaxy 07 August 2014, 09:30

no

Thumb _mowaten_ 07 August 2014, 15:45

i guess that's what "strongly disagree" means :)

Default-user-icon Skyboy (Guest) 07 August 2014, 09:17

where is the suspect who the attempted to assassinate PM Hard???

why aren't those who are attacking the Army in Tripoli arrested and sent to Jail for good?

Missing greatpierro 07 August 2014, 10:09

If let them be caught and judged.

Thumb cedre 07 August 2014, 16:45

sunnis u mean ?

Default-user-icon Babjalon Vardoubz (Guest) 07 August 2014, 22:31

That shows what an excellent job the trio of Mashnouq, Rifi and macho man die-haired Harb have done in making business run smoothly from within the climate-controlled hi-tech equipped luxurious rooms of Hotel Roumieh V on the fancy east side of Boulevard Michel Suleiman.