Army Intercepts Car Carrying Explosives in al-Bourj al-Shamali

The army on Thursday stopped a car carrying a small amount of explosives at the entrance of a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern town of al-Bourj al-Shamali, east of Tyre.

“An army unit intercepted a Renault Centro car carrying a fake license plate at the entrance of the al-Bourj al-Shamali camp,” the Army Command said in a statement.

The driver, Lebanese citizen Ahmed Jihad Alawiyeh, and the passengers Lebanese national Hussein Hamad Alawiyeh and Palestinian national Wissam Ali Dahwish were arrested.

“Two kilograms of explosives and a duct tape used in detonation were seized in the car,” the army added.

The detainees were referred to the relevant authorities as an investigation was launched, it added.

Explosives and suicide vests were seized in recent days as security forces launched a massive nationwide crackdown in the wake of deadly suicide blasts in the Beirut southern suburb of Bourj al-Barajneh.

The attack, the worst in years, killed 44 people and wounded 240 others and was claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group.

Y.R.