5 Injured in Attack against Minister Karami's Convoy as Ex-PM Omar Karami Laments Lack of Security in Lebanon
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A car part of Sports and Youth Minister Faisal Karami's convoy was engulfed in flames on Friday following a grenade attack in Azmi street in the northern port city of Tripoli as families of Islamist detainees held a sit-in to protest the ongoing detention of the men, as his father former Premier Omar Karami slammed the “lack of security” in Lebanon.
“I was heading to Friday prayers when the incident took place,” Karami told LBCI channel.
He said that gunmen were on the streets and suddenly gunfire erupted.
“We didn't know what happened,” he added.
“I don't think I was the target of the attack,” Karami told OTV channel earlier.
He stated that the convoy was passing in the area when several cars came under gunfire.
“I think the unrest aims at targeting the country's security situation,” the minister pointed out.
Karami told LBCI that “five of the bodyguards were injured.”
The identified bodyguards are Ali Baradei, Jamal Khaled al-Hassan, Mohammed Sayyour, and Ali Ahmed Mahmoud.
Sheikh Nabil Rahim, who called for Friday's sit-in, told LBCI that Sheikh Houssam al-Sabbagh was the target behind the incident.
Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported that the incident took place after Karami's bodyguards exchanged fire with several protesters participating in a sit-in held by the families of the Islamist detainees at Roumieh prison.
Al-Jadeed channel reported that it was an Energa-type rocket and not a grenade attack.
After Friday's incident, the army deployed near Karami's house in al-Maarad area and began checking the identification papers of passers-by.
The army later issued a communique saying that its units cordoned off the area of the incident as stationary and mobile checkpoints were deployed.
"The army is in pursuit of the culprits to arrest them and refer them to the competent judiciary," the statement said.
Former PM Omar Karami later held a press conference in Tripoli to denounce the incident, saying: “God saved Faisal from great evil.”
“We will consider today's incident as a mistake committed by the gunmen in the area,” he said.
“We have always voiced our commitment to the state and we will not make accusations against anyone,” he added.
"The security forces are not performing their duties in a manner that reassures the people," he noted.
“We will leave it up to the state to tackle this issue,” he continued.
“We have presented blood for Lebanon, Arabism, and the Arab world. We are always prepared to present such sacrifices,” declared the former prime minister.
“We will continue along our chosen path regardless of the hardships,” said Karami.
Moreover, he hoped that the parliamentary elections will be held on time “to produce a new parliament that would help prioritize the importance of the state.”
Several Islamists have been detained over alleged links to the Fatah al-Islam terrorist network that fought deadly gunbattles with the Lebanese army in 2007.
Authorities announced earlier this year that the trials for the inmates will kick off in February after the inauguration of a courtroom at Roumieh facility to speed up their trials.
18 January 2013, 13:20
31
The law of the jungle. I think they should let all the prisoners out. Then maybe we will have sit outs to put them back in jail.
18 January 2013, 15:12
21
Well, they just blew any chance of sympathy. This is good news.
Nobody supports them!
Islamists fundamentalists ought to be set an example of.
18 January 2013, 13:21
38
Condemn the Islamists, but don't forget as well that Hezbollah downed a helicopter with a high ranking security official in it.. im stating that so that Hezb sympathizers dont point fingers and shift the attention
18 January 2013, 19:04
32
Ft is Christian not shi3i, anyway... If u read what his father said in the article, saying he'll consider it an accident this time shows what really happened.
19 January 2013, 00:26
21
Error....it's more like one fanatic extremists muslims that are frozen in time killing not just other muslims but anyone who gets in their way!
18 January 2013, 15:00
03
People, the crazy Sunnis are getting crazier and crazier. In Africa. In Asia. In Europe. In the Middle-East. In America. EVERYWHERE. THEY HAVE GONE BERSERK. Thank you cheikh Saad Bin Rafic al-Zawahiri and Ahmad Tchay Latte Fatfat. Thank you Mustafa Allouch Baddo Douche and Khaled Bin Laden al-Daher Medri al-Fayet. Thank you Saudi Natania. Thank you US, France and Britain for appeasing the crazies who turn around and f..k you. Thank you March 14 for siding with the crzazies all the time. The crazies are coming. People, the crazies are coming. The crazies will kill other Sunnis if they find no one from other sects or religions to kill. Call it target practice and perfecting the skills. allahou BOOM BLAST akbar
18 January 2013, 15:17
33
You commentators are so weak.
The second a news happens you try to find a way to put Hezbollah/Iran/China/Venezuela & Hariri/Saudi/Qatar/Israel in the picture but such baseless and useless claims.
Most silent readers pitty you.
There - someone needed to say it.
18 January 2013, 15:19
23
This story reminds me of what aoun claimed that happened to his convoy in the southern city of saida in september/october. It was all organized to attract media attention to him... same goes with this Facial Karami. In the end, the facts speak for themselves, no M8ers die, how odd.
18 January 2013, 16:53
21
like aoun you mean when someone sneezed next to his car while he was a few kilometers away?
18 January 2013, 16:58
00
Who cares what happens to him... He is no better than the ones that got blown up before him... another feudal and tribal leader with no qualifications to be a janitor... But after all, where do we live ... Sweden?
18 January 2013, 17:31
21
“I think the unrest aims at targeting the country's security situation,”
since M8 is in power insecurity has been in the rise!!! so blame the gvt you are part of, incompetent minister!
18 January 2013, 17:54
21
it s the typical M8 behavior: they create chaos then come and act like desperate victims to better manipulate peoples minds like FT... they ve learned well from their assad beloved leader...they set fire then come and say they are firefighters! and throw the blame on others...
18 January 2013, 19:11
31
you thought wrong sissy boy... but from a stupid M8er it doesn t surprise me... how can you think when you lack a brain!
18 January 2013, 18:24
23
friendly fire is when it is the same entity kills one of its own NOT when a milita kills a soldier, ghabaa2
18 January 2013, 18:53
23
"since hizb and army coordinate..." so are you telling me that the army knew that the hizb was going to kidnap the israeli soldiers in '06?
18 January 2013, 19:15
24
you do not think we as a public should know what our publicly funded army knew or didn't know about an event that caused havoc in Lebanon? So you agree that hizbocrap's armament is illegitimate, we're getting somewhere...
18 January 2013, 19:13
21
FT nervousness is a sign of his desperation to lose his assads master...
18 January 2013, 20:59
21
to whom does this attempt benefit to? hezbis as usual... by igniting tripoli it serves their propaganda that they have meticulously been spreading about an islamist north....
they set the fire and then come play firefighters... but it is so gross they don t fool the people!
18 January 2013, 22:36
21
FT is a douche-bag, we should not even acknowledge his presence. He is nothing more than a scourge on moderate and intellectual people. He and his entire orange boota cannot debate like civilized people because the only thing they know how to do is lie, cheat and distort.
