Serra Denies Obtaining Information about Assassination Bid against Berri

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Commander Major-General Paolo Serra denied on Friday obtaining any information about an assassination bid targeting Speaker Nabih Berri.

“Serra has no information about this matter,” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said in a statement.

The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Friday that Serra informed the Lebanese army intelligence directorate about an assassination bid against Berri.

Lebanese security sources told daily that the Italian national Serra obtained the information from the Italian intelligence. However, the sources refused to specify the side plotting the assassination.

According to the daily, Berri would be targeted on his way from his residence in Ain el-Tineh to the parliament in Nijmeh Square in downtown Beirut.

Sources revealed that a five-member network linked to al-Qaida and residing in Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp will carry out the plot, including Toufic Taha, Ousama al-Shahabi and Mahmoud al-Doukhi.

Conflicting reports emerged in early May that seven Fatah al-Islam members had sneaked out of Ain el-Hilweh and that Toufic Taha was among them.

Taha is reportedly the head of a takfiri network that the Lebanese army had recently uncovered. The group was plotting attacks against army barracks and bases.

It remained unclear where the fugitives had escaped to, but it has been speculated that they were in Syria, and the Syrian security forces detained two of them, media reports said.

On Monday, Berri informed senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmed about a list of names he obtained of those who are plotting to assassinate the speaker.

He urged the Palestinian authority to halt any attempt to use the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon to escalate tension in Lebanon.

Earlier this month, the speaker confirmed that a list of politicians and figures would be targeted by extremist groups, describing the threat as serious and dangerous.

In January, security agencies urged Berri and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat to take precautions as they might be the target of an assassination plot.

Comments 15
Missing rami 01 June 2012, 09:25

Interesting... Assasinations are changing sides?

Missing helicopter 01 June 2012, 16:08

Mowaten....Since theories are abundant, here is mine. It is possible that the assassination of Mughniyeh (along with the so called suicide of few Syrian officials) was to eliminate those involved in the assassination of Harriri and other Lebanese officials and hence not implicate the higher ups of the Syrian regime and Hezb (they could not convince him to commit suicide like the others so they hadd to do it for him).

Missing lebaneserambo2012 02 June 2012, 03:11

You are hilarious...The political assassinations since the post-civil war era in Lebanon have ALWAYS been one sided....There has never an assasination attempt on any member of m8 & there will never be because these attempts are controlled by Hizb.....you're using the same technique as the Syrian regime by trying to cloud the truth by talking about irrelevant issues like Mughniyeh.....Mughnieh is a terrorist and he got killed by the same sword that he uses....and most likely might I add by the Syrian regime itself at the request of the Israelis.........The truth is that Mughniyeh was most likely behind the plotting of the assasination of Hariri....so please don't paint him as some hero of the Lebanese state....He like Nasrallah is a coward

Missing lebanese_bebe 03 June 2012, 08:48

The assassinations are one sided. You have to ask yourself who is benefiting out of these assassinations. The only people who benefited out of Hariri's death were the pro American/Saudis. Hariri's assassination meant, no more protection for Hezbollah & their weapons, a withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon AND the religious divide. Common sense.

Default-user-icon No name (Guest) 01 June 2012, 10:14

Why only the assassination of bad people is discovered... It is not fair.

Missing lebanese_bebe 03 June 2012, 08:46

The only people who benefited out of Hariri's death were the pro American/Saudis. Hariri's assassination meant, no more protection for Hezbollah & their weapons, a withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon AND the religious divide. Common sense.

Thumb jcamerican 01 June 2012, 10:26

They saw M14 reactions were weak, so they are banking on M8 to get the intended results.

Thumb thepatriot 01 June 2012, 14:22

hahahaha...
" Mugniyah has been associated with the Beirut barracks bombing and US embassy bombings, both of which took place in 1983 and killed over 350, as well as the kidnapping of dozens of foreigners in Lebanon in the 1980s. He was indicted in Argentina for his alleged role in the 1992 Israeli embassy attack in Buenos Aires. He is thought to have killed more United States citizens than any other militant before the 2001 US attacks, and the bombings and kidnappings he is alleged to have organized are credited with all but eliminating the US military presence in Lebanon"

... this lowlife criminal is a Genius huh...as for your one cent conspiracy theories... LOL :)

Missing lebanese_bebe 03 June 2012, 08:44

Well since u enjoy Lebanon being militarily occupied so much, why dont u just move to America. And Israel invaded Lebanon in March 1970, February 1973 and again in 1978. Where the hell was Hezbollah then? They were non existent. When Israel invaded in 1978, 10,000 Lebanese CIVILIANS were killed. They were financed and supplied by the United States. You obviously are not a Lebanese patriot.

Thumb thepatriot 01 June 2012, 15:45

The French and the US were peace keepers members of a multinational force...not only you're an idiot, but you're disgusting!

Missing lebanese_bebe 03 June 2012, 08:40

Lmao you have no knowledge of history. The French and US forces came as peace keepers and were not targeted UNTIL they joined in on the Civil War/Israeli Occupation by using their naval vessels to shell/bomb the 3lay area and other areas as well that included the Lebanese leftist groups. Once they did this they were no longer considered neutral in the situation. While Italy came as peace keepers and stayed out of getting militarily involved. They were NEVER attacked or targeted. You're the idiot. And its disgusting that u think u know what ur talking about. Go read Pity the Nation by Robert Fisk, British dude knows more about ur country than u do.

Default-user-icon Citizen (Guest) 01 June 2012, 16:12

The residences of politicians should be removed from residential neighborhoods. If this threat is real, it is not only a threat to him, but more importantly to all the residents and families living in Ain El Tineh who will most likely suffer significantly by heightened security measures or any incident that will take place. All politicians should be moved out of Beirut an into one zone of their own, for the safety of Lebanese citizens.

Default-user-icon Truth (Guest) 02 June 2012, 02:31

No information should be passed on to Serra or Berri by the Telecomm ministry in order to preserve individual liberties! And I hope that they find four committed Saints in the Ain El Helweh camp, to make such a miracle happen within the March 8 camp at last !

Default-user-icon Heros and Zeros (Guest) 02 June 2012, 05:06

Mughnieh did not just kill 350 uninvited foreigners on Lebanese soil (an argument used by several posts here to justify the killings), he also is credited for having bombed the American Embassy in Beirut where the vast majority of victims were innocent Lebanese citizens. The truth is that people like Mughniye do not care who their victims are as long as their bombs attract as much attention as possible. Killing people indiscriminately just to make a political statement does not make anyone a hero. It just makes him a mindless terrorist.

Default-user-icon Greenie (Guest) 02 June 2012, 05:25

Hey FT why dont you tell us how you dealt with meghliyeh murder?
Have you managed to locate his head?