Report: Saudi Diplomat Attends STL Closing Arguments

A diplomat from the Saudi Arabian embassy reportedly attended on Monday the proceedings of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon trying the accused in the assassination case of ex-PM Rafik Hariri in The Hague, LBCI TV station said.

The Saudi diplomat attended Monday’s session “based on the kingdom's interest in the assassination of Hariri, and issues related to the kingdom such as the Hajj pilgrimage reportedly made by the Accused Salim Ayyash in January 2005.”

Ayyash is a supposed member of Hizbullah who is accused along with three other suspects of involvement in the assassination of Hariri in 2005.

Defence teams of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon started on Monday the presentation of their closing arguments in the Ayyash et al. case.

The Defense team of the Accused Salim Ayyash said the “evidence the Chamber heard on what (Syrian President) Bashar Assad allegedly told Hariri - that he would “destroy Lebanon over (Hariri’s) and Jumblat’s head“ – was entirely hearsay.”

Raymond Abou-Chaaya, Rabih Nohra and Mohammed Dia, victims of the February 14 attack attended Monday’s closing arguments in the courtroom.

On Friday, the Prosecution stated that Ayyash participated directly and intentionally in the execution of the terrorist attack, the intentional homicide, and the attempted intentional homicide of Hariri.

On Thursday, the arguments focused on the claim that the Accused Salim Ayyash had postponed his Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the 2005 attack and on the issue of the Palestinian young man Ahmed Abu Adas, who was allegedly abducted by two Hizbullah suspects from Beirut's Tariq al-Jedideh area to appear in the video of the false claim of responsibility.

A verdict is not expected until the new year.