Shooting Victims Buried in Lassa amid Heavy Gunfire, Killer Handed Over to ISF
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Ghassan and Hadi Seifeddine, the victims of the Wata al-Joz incident, were laid to rest on Sunday in their hometown Lassa, in the presence of General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim, who represented President Michel Suleiman, a Hizbullah delegation and MPs Simon Abi Ramia, Abbas Hashem and Walid Khoury.
Mourners fired their guns heavily in the air during the funeral procession as Abi Ramia thanked the residents for their "wisdom" and stressed that "no one is above the law."
Later on Sunday, Anthony Khalil, who is accused of killing the two men, was handed over to the Intelligence Bureau of the Internal Security Forces under the supervision of Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.
For his part, Hizbullah official Sheikh Hussein Zoaiter stressed "the need that the perpetrator turn himself in to authorities," emphasizing that "the region will maintain its religious coexistence.”
Earlier, reports said that an agreement has been reached between security forces and the family of the shooter, under which he would turn himself in within hours.
The residents of Lassa vowed on Saturday to take “escalatory measures” should the assailant remain at large.
They noted that Lassa lies in an area near various tourist destinations, warning that they may block the roads to areas such as the Kfardebian and Faraya ski resorts should the state fail to apprehend the criminal.
“We call on officials who are keen on Lebanon and mutual coexistence to hand the criminal over to the judiciary,” they demanded.
The residents blocked the Hrajel-Mayrouba road in order to protest the failure to apprehend the criminal.
“We are speaking from a position of power not weakness,” they declared.
“We do not want to take justice into our own hands,” they warned
“We hope that this issue would not be transformed into strife,” they added.
Ghassan Seifeddine and his son Hadi were killed during a personal dispute, which erupted over a traffic accident, in the Wata al-Joz region on Thursday.
On Saturday, Lassa cleric Sheikh Mohammed Itawi announced that the two men will be buried on Sunday afternoon. The announcement came after Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah interfered and requested that the families withdraw their pledge of sentencing the accused to death before they lay the bodies of Ghassan and Hadi to rest.
27 January 2013, 16:32
17
How many were there in the crowd of Shia who were after him? Looks like self defense to me. Where are the ones wanted by the Hariri court, the killed helicopter pilot and so many others? Yes the Hezz hide them. We all know what is going on.
27 January 2013, 16:58
515
It seems that a crowd was after Anthony Khalil. He defended himself. Self defense is not a crime unless it is against Shia in an M8 controlled country.
Where are the people wanted in the Hariri trial, the helicopter pilot they killed, etc, etc, etc, etc.......Finally one young guy stood up to them. They have a thug mentality in the Hezz community. People are sick of it.
27 January 2013, 17:32
17
A court of law will have to decide. Not the shooter fanily, thugs on the street or posters on naharnet. Howerver, the whole episode is tragic: for the victim family and above all for the lebanese people who had to watch their government as an arbitrator rather than enforcer of laws. What if the victims came from families with no military or political muscle and the shooter comes from one that has these muscles? I guess we know how this would end up.
29 January 2013, 08:06
00
Maybe they think we are scared to defend ourselves; here is the news: NOBODY SCARES US. Anthony is a young man who stood up for Pierre Nakhoul who was getting stabbed by the victims & for himself. YES, This is self defense. A crime is when u stabb people or kill them on the road or threaten to kill them bcuz they re not of the same religion or dont share ur opinions.Khalsouna ba2a
27 January 2013, 17:14
15
@gabby14 - well said...
Justice is sought out for one group in Lebanon when others say no to the rule illegal arms. However, they want murdering a prime minister, others and the country to go unpunished. They are reaping what they have sown.
27 January 2013, 17:48
12
Let me see, one man transgresses two men for right of passage in a tight spot? No, using logic it looks like the other way, two men in a car intimidate a lone man in his car then the man stands up to them. They decide to take matters into their own hands, the lone man shoots them and kills them. No disrespects to anyone but we are in Lebanon and that's how our roads have become. But we need to see a little beyond our political leanings, this incident now shows beyond all doubts that more and more people have become filled to the brim with those people who seem to impress on us their belonging to Hezbollah by flexing their muscle. If we do not check it our fairly, then more incidents like this will develop into major issues that will make us regret our laxness when it comes to matters affecting Hezbollah and its members. One drop, that's all it may take.
27 January 2013, 17:56
11
The family and the sect supporters of the dead will only alienate more people by firing so heavily into the air. The Lebanese majority has long since crossed the wall of fear when it comes to Hezbollah and anyone doubting this fact is playing with fire, the Lebanese that do not share in Hezbollah's attitudes have now armed themselves to the point where they can stand their ground against any kind of Hezbollah intimidation, May 2008 will not repeat itself anymore unless Hezbollah wishes to repeat Bashar Al Assad's capital mistake. HA's only ay out, in fact the whole country's way out is for Hezbollah to accept that its weapons are now the worst threat to its own self. Syria's is a case in point, losers all round but the worst loser will be the one who felt that his weapons were the answer to all his problems.
28 January 2013, 03:39
11
How do you get self defense!...If he was threatened with a knife, he would only need to show a gun to win that arguement! it is clear that your understanding of basic law is wrong. As for may 2008, its not due to weapons and who has them, but who is equiped amd trained better.
dont fool yourself as in 2008, the real fighters never hit the street...but beleave as you will..
27 January 2013, 18:44
01
@ Neon, if really a crowd was after him with machetes, i guess me , you or anybody would have shot anywhere to bring them down and be able to flee. i would have like seeing you in the same situation to see what you would do if you had a gun and people were coming at you to cut you to pieces.. But what surprises me the most is that you are against killing but you post a picture of one of the greatest arab dictators and killer of his people of history. Wow such objectivity
27 January 2013, 18:49
71
Terrorists shooting at terrorists. There's only one winner, the average Lebanese !
27 January 2013, 19:29
23
“We are speaking from a position of power not weakness,” they declared............... that is the problem and in the end (no one knows how long that would take) that will be the reason for their downfall.
27 January 2013, 20:13
30
FT, I felt amused by your comment, I have yet to see one FPMer or Hizbie dare take a real man's direct stand when confronted by an LFer. In 2008 when the Hizbies overran West Beirut, they tried their luck in Ein El Remmaneh, when they saw that well over 300 well armed LFers standing in front of their buildings, they knew, that there was in front of them serious and determined fighters. Geagea ordered that everyone return inside the buildings and let the army do its job, failure to which then the LF would act. I saw what the FPM and Hezbies did not dare do.
27 January 2013, 20:32
22
Make Lassa an arm free city. Hell make the whole of lebanon an arms free country!
27 January 2013, 20:49
31
Our country is still backward when it comes to these things. You have 2 persons shot to death and I read persons saying that the person who shot them to death did it in self defense. This is not an attempted armed robbery..how do you know it was self defense? The police should have been there as soon as possible and have immediately arrested the person who killed them. Even if it was just an accident, the person should be arrested, questioned and be charged for something....You have 2 dead bodies. When I read things like that (I have to admit) I sometimes wish that I was still in the USA.
27 January 2013, 21:37
10
You did good Anthony , I would of done the same thing.It's time to cleanse Mt Lebanon of these machete wielding thugs.May they rot in Hell!
28 January 2013, 02:31
00
This incident confirms on sad fact: Lebanese people are armed to the teeth and the government is totally helpless ......
28 January 2013, 06:07
01
What is shocking is that the shooter was not arrested until the Lassa people demonstrated and threatened of escalation. Authorities are shockingly powerless.
28 January 2013, 07:32
01
And when hizbullah shot the helicopter pilot, did his family block and burn roads?
28 January 2013, 08:44
01
"Buried in Lassa amid Heavy Gunfire" Now how primitive is that?
28 January 2013, 11:07
00
whats with this intemidating behavier of going to the streets, weapons drawn, whenever people want the government to act?Jungle I tell you.
Animals indeed.Unedeucated peasant mentality for sure.
28 January 2013, 13:22
10
says a picture of a guy who has an avatar of bashar al assad!
28 January 2013, 14:25
00
to phoenix, do you have any idea how many incidents in shia areas of lebanon occur in which shias fight among each other and in many cases these fights happen in large part to traffic accidents or careless driving situations. Sometimes the fights lead to injuries and death. Do you think they, the combatants, care a less whether they have any political affiliation to hezbollah or any other party. Its not about imposing political strenth, its about dealing with every day headaches of lebanons roads. plain and simple. you are over over stretching things by miles.
29 January 2013, 06:47
00
Anon that does not count as Hezbollah is above the law and practices its rights to do whatever it wants that meets with the wishes of Iran. Hezbollah shot down the helicopter to defeat Israel and Rhodesia as well as saved the Moroccans from the immanent Japanese invasion by doing so...
As any young Clown follower they can give you the detailed rational for how our life and freedoms have improved due to Hizbollah in Lebanon.
