Army Arrests 3 for Conducting 'Major Financial Operations' for Syria Militants

Three people have been arrested in Lebanon on charges of conducting “major financial operations” for the benefit of Syria-based armed groups, the army announced Thursday.

“Lebanese national Mohammed Dahrouj and the Syrians Ahmed Najjar and Ayman Ghotmeh were arrested by the Intelligence Directorate yesterday in Beirut on suspicion of conducting financial operations on behalf of militant groups operating in Syria,” the army said in a statement.

“The detainees confessed to transferring huge sums of money from Lebanon and other countries to Syria in a crooked manner,” the army added.

The detainee Dahrouj had been previously arrested on charges of transferring rocket-propelled grenades, said the army.

“Sums of money have been seized as a probe got underway under the supervision of the relevant judicial authorities,” the military added.

The Syrian conflict has spilled over heavily into Lebanon in the form of a refugee crisis, sporadic waves of violence and sectarian tensions.

Since the eruption of the crisis, the undemarcated border between the two countries has been used as a conduit for weapons and fighters, while also serving as a route for people fleeing the violence.

Y.R.