Report: AMAL Movement Advised to Cancel Rally in Nabatiyeh Set to Mark Sadr Anniversary

Security agencies warned Speaker Nabih Berri and AMAL movement leadership of plans by culprits to target a mass rally that will be held in the southern Nabatiyeh province to mark the 33rd anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr and his two companions.

According to al-Akhbar newspaper published on Saturday, the warnings come in light of security information obtained by security agencies that terrorists will target the anniversary.

“An explosive-laden car in Nabatiyeh is set to explode in such popular scenes,” the daily reported.

The AMAL movement was advised to cancel the anniversary.

Revered by Lebanon's Shiites as a key spiritual and political guide, Sadr vanished in 1978 amid mysterious circumstances and was last seen in Libya where he was invited by slain leader Moammar Gadhafi.

At the time, Sadr was trying to negotiate an end to the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990), in which Palestinian factions were involved.

Gadhafi was believed to be shipping weapons to the Palestinians and other groups and Sadr, according to reports, was hoping to convince the Libyan leader to refrain from stoking the unrest in Lebanon.

But his visit to Tripoli along with two aides, Mohammed Yacoub and Abbas Badreddine, took a sour turn after he got into a heated argument with Gadhafi who ordered that the three men be "taken away," according to an indictment against the Libyan leader issued by Lebanese authorities.

Libyan authorities said that the three left Tripoli for Italy, which after conducting an investigation into the case denied the claims.

In 2004, the passports of Sadr and Yacoub were found in a hotel in Rome.

In August 2008, Lebanon issued arrest warrants against Gadhafi and some of his aides, accusing them of kidnapping Sadr and his companions.