4 Arrested at Sidon Building of Costa Cafe Would-Be Bomber

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Four people have been arrested at the Sidon building where the Costa would-be suicide bomber, Omar al-Assi, used to live, the army said on Sunday.

The building lies in Sidon's al-Sharhabil area.

The army statement did not identify the suspects but the National News Agency had reported that two of Assi's brothers and relatives from the Bukhari and Habli families were arrested overnight.

The military also said that Assi's suicide belt contained “eight kilograms of extremely explosive material and a number of metallic pellets aimed at maximizing casualties.”

“The detainees are being interrogated under the supervision of the relevant judicial authorities,” the army statement added.

Army intelligence agents had arrested Assi overnight Saturday at the Costa cafe in Beirut's Hamra district. Several military intelligence agents were seen holding him down to ensure he was not able to detonate the explosive belt.

A previous army statement had noted that the operation was a joint effort with the Intelligence Branch of the Internal Security Forces.

According to media reports, Assi had been injured during a 2013 Sidon gunfight between Ahmed al-Asir's group and the Hizbullah-affiliated Resistance Brigades. He later became affiliated with the extremist Islamic State group which ordered him to carry out Saturday's botched attack, reports say.

Comments 15
Thumb justin 22 January 2017, 16:44

OTV: الانتحاري الموقوف فلسطيني وليس لديه شركاء آخرين والقوى الأمنية تسيطر على الوضع.

Pure incitement by OTV claiming the would be suicide bomber is palestinian.

Thumb justin 22 January 2017, 17:32

take your masdar news and go to iran ya troll.

Thumb EagleDawn 22 January 2017, 17:41

@flametroller, I find it strange you are quoting main stream media since you always claimed you source your information from people on the ground.

Thumb EagleDawn 22 January 2017, 18:06

"flamethrower.......
no mainstream media is suitable for me"

Thumb EagleDawn 22 January 2017, 18:09

"...flamethrower--
ex-human, unlike you, i care nothing of what goes on in the media. i source my opinions from the street and day to day life, not from the media cesspits you drink from."

Thumb Mystic 22 January 2017, 18:46

They are Rifis men all these guys trying to blow up Lebanon, because Rifi failed to gain the power he wanted.

Missing ArabDemocrat.com 22 January 2017, 19:19

FT - Al Masdar is a pro regime outlet and and the Lebanese National Ahency is mostly staffed with Nabih Berri people.

Thumb warrior 23 January 2017, 04:41

@flamerotten and his double the irani @mowaten always and faithfully quote Al Masdar;)

Thumb Mystic 22 January 2017, 18:43

Yeah you are the Smurf and these Omar guys are your brothers.

Missing ArabDemocrat.com 22 January 2017, 19:03

"these Omar guys"!???? Your sectarian smell is stinking up the place.

Thumb Mystic 22 January 2017, 22:45

Assirs and Rifis men, they are of you. They use the same words and slogans aswell.

Well being a takfiri now is the same as being an Israeli in Lebanon, both are doomed inside these borders.

Missing ArabDemocrat.com 23 January 2017, 00:42

Thank you Mystics for showing us that your lies are only matched by your sectarianism.

Default-user-icon Bridal (Guest) 22 January 2017, 20:15

How lucky this happened, no one in talking about the kidnaping of Richa anymore.

Thumb Elemental 22 January 2017, 21:50

Look what happened when Lebanon catered to foreign rats. Unfortunately, this will continue for a long time. I wish the Lebanese as a whole would have had more courage instead of cowardice, submitting to extremist groups in a bid for money. A genuine Lebanese will never take orders from foreign powers, never inflict harm, or instill fear via violence and assassinations. It has become a proxy conflict zone for everyone else's primitive feuds.

Thumb gigahabib 23 January 2017, 11:02

Salafism again. So let's see how the usual suspects spin it to blame Hezbollah.