4 Arrested at Sidon Building of Costa Cafe Would-Be Bomber
Four people have been arrested at the Sidon building where the Costa would-be suicide bomber, Omar al-Assi, used to live, the army said on Sunday.
The building lies in Sidon's al-Sharhabil area.
The army statement did not identify the suspects but the National News Agency had reported that two of Assi's brothers and relatives from the Bukhari and Habli families were arrested overnight.
The military also said that Assi's suicide belt contained “eight kilograms of extremely explosive material and a number of metallic pellets aimed at maximizing casualties.”
“The detainees are being interrogated under the supervision of the relevant judicial authorities,” the army statement added.
Army intelligence agents had arrested Assi overnight Saturday at the Costa cafe in Beirut's Hamra district. Several military intelligence agents were seen holding him down to ensure he was not able to detonate the explosive belt.
A previous army statement had noted that the operation was a joint effort with the Intelligence Branch of the Internal Security Forces.
According to media reports, Assi had been injured during a 2013 Sidon gunfight between Ahmed al-Asir's group and the Hizbullah-affiliated Resistance Brigades. He later became affiliated with the extremist Islamic State group which ordered him to carry out Saturday's botched attack, reports say.
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