Two charged in Hariri probe
2005-10-27 00:32
Beirut - Lebanon on Wednesday charged two Lebanese brothers, members of a Sunni Muslim fundamentalist sect, in connection with the murder of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, judicial sources said.
"The prosecutor general, Said Mirza, has charged the two brothers, Mahmud and Ahmed Abdel-Al of involvement in the different files concerning the assassination of Rafiq Hariri," one source said.
According to a UN report released last week, Mahmud Abdel-Al telephoned President Emile Lahoud just minutes before the blast that killed Hariri and 20 other people in February.
Mahmud Abdel-Al, a member of the El-Ahbash sect that is believed to have strong links with Syria, was arrested on Saturday.
His brother Ahmed was arrested more than a month ago for illegal possession of arms in a case also involving a close aide to General Mustafa Hamdan, the head of Lahoud's presidential guard.
Their brother Walid Abdel-Al is a member of the guard.
Although Lahoud has not been implicated in the investigation, Hamdan and three ex-security chiefs have been arrested on charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, carrying out acts of terrorism and possession of firearms and explosives.
Lahoud's office denied he had received a call from the suspect, although it conceded that a call was made to one of the mobile phones used by staff.
El-Ahbash is a shadowy group which calls itself a charitable organisation promoting an Islamic culture, but is suspected by many Lebanese of serving as an instrument for Syrian intelligence.
- AFP