Assyrian Democratic Organization ADO
BEIRUT, Lebanon – AP — Lebanon has charged over 100 suspected militants with terrorism, accusing them of belonging to an al-Qaida-inspired group that has been battling the army for almost three months, a court official said Saturday.
Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza filed the charges on Friday, targeting 107 suspected Fatah Islam members in police custody and an indeterminate number still at large, including group leader Shaker Youssef al-Absi, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Mirza accused the suspected militants of “establishing a gang with the aim of committing crimes against the people, stealing money, undermining the state’s authority and attacking its military and security institutions,” according to the official. He also charged the alleged Fatah Islam members with “possession and use of explosive materials and unlicensed weapons and carrying out terrorist acts that have led to the death of a large number of officers and soldiers in the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces and the wounding of others.”
Fatah Islam fighters holed up in the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared have been battling Lebanese troops since May 20, the country’s worst internal violence since the 1975-90 civil war. The fighting has killed 136 soldiers, at least 60 militants and more than 20 civilians.
The official said most of the 107 in custody were Lebanese, but the group also included Saudis, Palestinians and Syrians. They could face death if convicted of terrorism charges, the official added.
Fatah Islam has been blamed for past attacks inside Lebanon. Interior Minister Hassan Sabie has said that members of the group confessed to bombing two buses near Beirut in February that killed three people and wounded 20. On Saturday, Lebanese troops killed at least two Fatah Islam militants during heavy fighting in the Nahr el-Bared camp, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The NNA said the two died when troops unleashed artillery and tank fire against the Saassa neighborhood in Nahr el-Bared where militants are believed to be holed up underground. The army has refused to halt its offensive until the militants completely surrender, but the gunmen have vowed to fight to the death.
Earlier this week, Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman said Fatah Islam was affiliated with al-Qaida, the first high-ranking official to make such a statement. He denied the group was created by Syria, as claimed by some Lebanese government officials.
Anti-Syrian Lebanese government officials have accused Damascus of being behind Fatah Islam in an attempt to destabilize Lebanon following its forced withdrawal from the country in 2005. Damascus denies the claim, saying it considers the group a dangerous terrorist organization.
