Ashraf Rifi
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Arslan Forges 'Unified Stance' with Jumblat against Takfiris as PSP Chief Urges Supporting Army

Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat noted on Sunday that the fight against the Islamic State group is still “at the beginning,” as Lebanese Democratic Party chief MP Talal Arslan said there is a “unified stance” with the head of the Progressive Socialist Party in the face of the “impending danger.”

“Political diversity in Baisour is valuable for Lebanon and the nation and we must preserve diversity in order to boost stability and fight the takfiris,” said Jumblat during a joint visit with Arslan to the Aley District town.

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Rifi Announces Launch of Probe in Tripoli Bombs: Kidnapped Troops to Be Freed without Exchange for Militants

Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi announced on Saturday that the investigation in last year’s double blast in the northern city of Tripoli has kicked off, assuring also that troops kidnapped by jihadists in the border town of Arsal will be released without exchanging them for Islamist detainees.

“I announce to the families of the martyrs, to my people in the city and to all the Lebanese that the judicial investigator started yesterday his probe with the detainees in the mosques' blasts,” Rifi declared in a speech he gave during a commemoration of the double Tripoli bombs of August 23, 2013.

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Report: Tough Conditions on Swap of Islamists for Lebanese Soldiers, Policemen

Jihadists, who are holding Lebanese army troops and policemen captive, have reportedly announced conditions for their release despite the denial of Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and mediators.

Al-Qaida linked al-Nusra Front members have said they would release one soldier or security forces member held captive earlier this month in return for two Islamists jailed in Lebanon, al-Akhbar daily said Wednesday.

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Rifi: Tripoli Stronger than Troublemakers and We Should not Be Worried

Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi on Saturday assured that moderation will stand strong in the northern city of Tripoli in the face of "troublemakers" and “dark rooms.”

Rifi discussed with a delegation of northern figures, religious men, heads of associations and mayors “the suspicious campaign that aims at harming Tripoli's national role and religious coexistence.”

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Mashnouq Says to Discuss with Moqbel, Rifi Implementation of Decision on Wanted Lists

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq said that he will hold talks with Defense Minister Samir Moqbel and Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi to implement a cabinet decision to abolish lists of wanted individuals.

In remarks to pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published on Tuesday, al-Mashnouq said his meeting with Moqbel, who is also the deputy PM, and Rifi will come after the Eid al-Fitr holidays, which end on Wednesday.

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Army Raids Tripoli Neighborhood as Rifi Says Security Forces Will Pursue Wanted Suspects

The army carried out on Tuesday raids in the al-Mankoubin neighborhood in the northern city of Tripoli in search of wanted suspects, reported Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).

It said that the raid was accompanied by the deployment of army units on al-Ahram Street in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood.

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Rage over Video Featuring a Child Beating Up Another under Parental Instruction

A video of a child beating up another minor, who is a Syrian national according to some reports, went viral online, prompting the Ministry of Social Affairs and the judiciary to act and demand an investigation in the incident.

The video that was posted on YouTube shows Abbas, a Lebanese child who hails from the Bekaa, holding a stick and beating up another minor under the instruction of his parents.

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Roumieh Inmates' Families Suspend Protest in Tripoli, Rifi Warns of Dragging City Back into 'Circle of Violence'

The families of Roumieh prison inmates decided to suspend their sit-ins in Tripoli as Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi warned on Saturday of "dragging the northern city back into the circle of violence."

"The inmates' families decided to reopen the roads until next Thursday after receiving promises from several Sheikhs and prominent figures in relation to their demands,” OTV reported on Saturday evening.

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Rifi Skeptic about Islamist Prison Break from Roumieh, Says Precautions Taken

Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi said on Monday that it's normal that justice palaces and security facilities would become the target of terrorist plots, doubting that extremists would be able to free Islamist inmates from Roumieh prison.

“We have taken our precautions and Lebanon doesn't harbor such ideologies,” Rifi said in an interview with al-Joumhouria newspaper.

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Suspect Vowing to 'Liberate Baabda' Identified

Security agencies launched an investigation to identify the shooters who appeared in a controversial video message, vowing to “liberate Baabda from the upcoming president.”

“We are certain that the shooting occurred in Beirut's southern suburbs,” security sources said in comments published in al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Sunday.

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