Minkara after His Release Urges Dialogue with Rafehi, Says Gharib Retracted All Confessions

After his release from detention on Wednesday, Sheikh Hashem Minkara announced that Sheikh Ahmed al-Gharib, the first suspect arrested over the Tripoli blasts, has retracted all his confessions, calling for a dialogue conference with Salafist cleric Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi.

“The bombings that targeted the al-Salam and al-Taqwa mosques two weeks ago are strongly condemned. It is a vile act and it is absolutely haram (impermissible in Islam). Only someone who has a black heart and deep hatred towards humanity could do such an act,” Minkara, head of the pro-Syria Islamic Tawhid Movement-Command Council, said at a press conference he held following his provisional release.

“Whoever staged the bombings, regardless of his affiliation, is a criminal who does not deserve any remorse. Had I learned that something like this would happen, I would have acted to protect my people with my soul and body,” he added.

He noted that the twin bombings resemble the bomb attack that killed prominent Syrian pro-regime Sunni cleric Mohammed Saeed al-Bouti at a Damascus mosque, blaming the blasts on “the same black heart.”

“Those who staged the bombings and killed the innocents must be struck with an iron fist,” said Minkara.

“I have only acknowledged Islam and the defense of my country, so how is it possible for me to do something like this act? Would any reasonable person believe this?” he added.

“Sheikh Ahmed al-Gharib has retracted all the confessions he made during preliminary interrogations and he was under enormous psychological pressure,” the cleric went on to say.

He claimed that “everything was based on a tipoff received by Sheikh Ahmed about a bombing at a certain location and he has nothing to do with this case.”

“Let the investigation continue and let the real criminal be arrested so that the blood shed does not go in vain,” he said.

“Mustafa Houri informed (former Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf) Rifi of the issue and Rifi in turn informed the (ISF) Intelligence Bureau, so why did this bureau disregard the issue and allow the bombing to happen?” Minkara wondered.

“Has the Intelligence Bureau been questioned about its disregard of Houri's testimony? Is the bureau trying to frame me personally and politically and to frame all my brothers and our entire project?” he asked.

Minkara added: “We have offered our blood for the sake of liberating the country and upholding the word of God.”

“I'm still ready to offer sacrifices and I will spare no effort for the sake of the dignity of our religion and our dignity in our country,” he vowed.

“What do they want from this huge media campaign and insults against me and against my political camp and project? Do they want to hold us accountable for endorsing a big project that is at the level of the entire Ummah? Who do they want us to disavow? Do they want us to disavow the scheme of resisting the Jews? Do they want us to disavow Hizbullah and its resistance? Do they want us to disavow (Hizbullah chief) Sayyed Hassan (Nasrallah)?” Minkara said.

Addressing rival Sunni scholars, the cleric added: “No matter how much you disagree with me, Sayyed Hassan is the ultimate leader of resistance in our Levantine countries.”

“We only support the state project in Syria and tell me about a single state other than Syria that supports the resistance today,” he said.

“Isn't reform in Syria better than al-Nusra Front, the 'eaters of livers' and the groups that are financed by the West?” Minkara asked.

“We are the advocates of a project, not the followers of any regime, we rather believe in an anti-Israel project,” he stressed.

Minkara invited the Committee of Muslim Ulemas and its chief Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi and the Committee of the Ulemas of the Levant to a “dialogue conference.”

Al-Rafehi, who supports the Syrian uprising, is the imam of the blast-hit al-Taqwa Mosque.

“I hold security agencies responsible for any harm that I might suffer,” Minkara said, urging authorities to probe death threats voiced against him.

“The accusations against me were purely political and the investigations were not transparent,” he noted, adding that “security agencies must tell us about the role of (the alleged informer) Mustafa Houri and his scheme.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Military Court of Cassation, presided over by Judge Alice Chabtini, approved a decision by First Military Investigative Judge Riyad Abu Ghida to release Minkara on parole.

“Following this decision, Minkara will be released after he was detained on charges of withholding information from the authorities in the case of the bombings that targeted two mosques in Tripoli,” state-run National News Agency said.

The parole requires Minkara to keep authorities posted on his place of residence.

On Tuesday, the court adjourned looking into the appeal filed by Abu Ghida to release Minkara over lack of quorum.

Abu Ghida had ordered on Monday the release of Minkara after questioning him, and referred back his file to State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr.

The sheikh had been accused by the military prosecution of withholding information from the authorities regarding his alleged connection with last month's twin bombings in the northern city of Tripoli.

But Saqr ruled against Abu Ghida's judgment and kept him in custody pending the ruling of the Military Court of Cassation.

Also on Tuesday, Abu Ghida resumed the interrogation of the alleged informer Mustafa Houri over his possible involvement in the Tripoli bombings, according to NNA.

Abu Ghida ordered on Monday the arrest of Sheikh Ahmed al-Gharib and Houri following their interrogation.

Forty-five people were killed and at least 800 wounded in the Tripoli bombings that targeted the two Sunni mosques as worshipers were performing weekly prayers.