Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Lebanese army says it arrested prominent al-Qaeda leader in Deir Ammar town

2023-05-21

[Shafaq News] The Lebanese army said on Saturday it had arrested a prominent al-Qaeda leader in Deir Ammar town, northeast of the city of Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
It identified the arrested man only as "T.M." and said in a statement that the arrest took place on Friday.

"T.M. is one of the most prominent leaders of al-Qaeda and the founder of its cells in Leb
Leb

...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
," it added.

"He has also played a key role in establishing the terrorist Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred. Mostly eradicated by the Leb army...
organization," the statement added, referring to an al-Qaeda-inspired hard boy group that used to be active in Lebanon over a decade ago.

The Lebanese army said T.M. withdrew from the spotlight in late 2007 following a fierce battle between the military and Fatah al-Islam at a refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

He then returned to prominence after the rise of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
and Syrian hard boy group the Nusra Front, the army added.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Shooting Erupts in Ain el-Hilweh Following Fatah al-Islam Member Death

2014-05-15

[An Nahar] The death of a Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred.
member in Ein el-Hellhole near the southern city of Sidon on Wednesday evening sparked a heavy exchange of fire in the camp, which lead to the injury of one person.

"An elderly man was maimed in a heavy fire exchange in Ein el-Hellhole's vegetable market," al-Jadeed television reported.

MTV said that a bomb was hurled in the market and was followed by an exchange of gunfire.

"One person was reportedly maimed by gunshots," MTV noted.

The state-run National News Agency explained that after the news about the death of Fatah al-Islam official Alaeddine Ali Hujair broke out, tension prevailed in the camp's al-Fawqani area as shops and companies also closed their doors.

Hujair died of wounds he received in an armed clash between supporters of Fatah al-Islam and others who back Fatah last week.

On Monday, reports said that the Fatah al-Islam official had died, and following this inaccurate announcement, Hujair's supporters erupted into the streets and began firing gunshots into the air.

This soon escalated into the armed festivities which lead to the injury of seven people.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Fears of Mass Jailbreak by Islamists in Roumieh amid Rising Extremism in Lebanon

2014-02-05

[AnNahar] Security Forces are mulling ways to confront an expected mass jailbreak by Islamists in Roumieh prison's bloc B, media reports said on Tuesday.

According to al-Joumhouria newspaper, Islamists in the Roumieh could easily breakout of the facility due to its fragile infrastructure.

Sources considered that putting all Islamist inmates together in one bloc is "dangerous," which facilitates their breakout.

Roumieh, the oldest and largest of Leb's overcrowded prisons, has witnessed sporadic prison breaks in recent years and escalating riots over the past months as inmates living in poor conditions demand better treatment.

The sources expected that Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred.
prisoners would flee the prison en mass, in particular in a time when the country is booming with the presence of faceless myrmidons and terrorists.

There are around 190 Fatah al-Islam prisoners at the prison's bloc B.

The inmates were tossed in the calaboose
Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up!
in 2007 on charges of fighting or aiding the Fatah al-Islam fighters in Nahr al-Bared that lies near the northern coastal city of Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
The sources said that Abou Walid and Abou Suleiman and Ibrahim al-Atrash, who is the uncle of Sheikh Omar al-Atrash, lead Fatah al-Islam prisoners in Roumieh's bloc B.

Sheikh Omar al-Atrash recently confessed to transporting jacket wallahs of different Arab nationalities to the al-Nusra Front in Syria.

The sources said that Fatah al-Islam leaders hold daily closed-circle meetings inside the facility, which drew the attention of the guards who fear that they are plotting a prison break.

However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened...
Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbek said that the security situation in Roumieh prison is under control.

"Every prisoner seeks to break out of his jail," Charbel told Voice of Leb radio (100.5).

He pointed out that the Islamist prisoners in bloc B have been arrested together.

Powerful blasts have largely targeted areas sympathetic to Hizbullah, which has dispatched fighters to battle alongside the Syrian regime against a Sunni-dominated uprising.

Jihadist groups believed to be linked to those fighting in Syria have grabbed credit for most of the attacks, saying they will continue for as long as Hizbullah battles in Syria.

The kabooms have created a climate of fear in the country, with residents increasingly nervous about unfamiliar cars and certain neighborhoods.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Fatah Hands Over al-Ordoni to Army for Interrogation over Starco Blast

2013-12-30

[An Nahar] The Palestinian Fatah movement on Sunday handed over one of its officials to the Lebanese army for interrogation over the case of the Starco area blast that killed former finance minister Mohammed Shatah and seven other people.

State-run National News Agency said the movement handed over "the commander of the Shatila Martyrs Brigade, Colonel Talal al-Ordoni, to the army's intelligence directorate, which will hear his testimony over the issue of the stolen car that was used in the Starco bombing."

On Friday, As Safir newspaper quoted a detainee identified as Abu al-Daoud as saying that the Honda CRV used in the attack "entered the Ain el-Hilweh camp some time ago and was given to a man nicknamed Talal al-Ordoni."

It later turned out that al-Ordoni is a member of Fatah Movement, not Fatah al-Islam as mentioned in the newspaper's report.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

U.S. Blacklists Usamah al-Shihabi as Global Terrorist

2013-12-19

[An Nahar] The United States on Wednesday blacklisted Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred.
top member Osamah al-Shihabi as a "global terrorist."

"The Department of State has designated Fatah al-Islam (FAI) associate Osamah Amin al-Shihabi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets faceless myrmidons and those providing support to faceless myrmidons or acts of terrorism," it said in a statement.

"Al-Shihabi is an associate of FAI, a Lebanese-based hard boy group formed in 2006, whose ultimate goal is the institution of Islamist sharia law in the Paleostinian refugee camps and the destruction of Israel, and at times has played a key leadership role in the organization," the State Department added.

Shihabi is wanted by Lebanese authorities on multiple arrest warrants. He has been described as the "emir of Fatah al-Islam" in the Ein el-Hellhole Paleostinian refugee camp.

According to media reports, the hard boy shuttles between Ein el-Hellhole and Syria.

In Its statement, the State Department said "he has also recently been appointed head of Syria-based al-Nusra Front's Paleostinian wing in Leb."

Al-Nusra Front was formed by al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in late 2011 as a proxy for AQI's activities in Syria. On December 11, 2012, the State Department blacklisted al-Nusra as a foreign terrorist organization.

The consequences of Wednesday's designation include a prohibition against U.S. persons engaging in transactions with al-Shihabi, and "the freezing of all property and interests in property of al-Shihabi that are in the United States, or come within the United States or the possession or control of U.S. persons."

In August 2011, Shihabi was appointed as the "emir" of Fatah al-Islam in Leb, succeeding Abdul Rahman Awad, who was killed in an army ambush in the Bekaa in 2010.

The Nahr al-Bared Paleostinian refugee camp in northern Leb was almost totally destroyed during a months-long conflict between the Lebanese army and the al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam in 2007.

The fighting killed some 400 people, including 168 soldiers. Some Islamist leaders escaped despite the army siege of the camp.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Telecom Data Analysis Finds Link between 12-Member Terror Cell and Fatah al-Islam

2013-10-11

[An Nahar] Twelve suspects charged with planning terrorist activities in Leb, including liquidations, have been in contact with members of Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred.
terror group in Roumieh prison, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said that analysis of the so-called telecommunications data revealed that the members of the network had contacted several Fatah al-Islam inmates in the prison.

The examination of the calls is ongoing to know the connection between the two sides, it said.

The State Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Wednesday the 12 suspects, including a Lebanese and 2 Syrians who are in jug, with plotting terrorist activities and forming an armed gang to carry out terrorist operations.

The charges include buying arms, rockets and bombs to plant them throughout Lebanese territories, and plotting liquidations against personalities in northern Leb who back the Syrian regime.

The suspects were also planning to booby-trap vehicles.

Security and judicial sources told al-Joumhouria that two personalities from the Syrian opposition were on the liquidation list of the 12-member network, in addition to several Sunni clergymen in the northern city of Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
who are supporters of the regime in Syria.

The daily identified the clergymen as Bilal Shaaban and his brother, in addition to another Sunni man -- Kamal Kheir, who heads a political association and a charity in northern Leb.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Roumieh Guard Arrested for Attempting to Smuggle Explosives in a Sandwich

2013-10-04

[An Nahar] An attempt to smuggle kaboom through sandwiches was thwarted at Roumieh prison, reported LBCI television on Thursday.
"Who ordered the TNT, lettuce, and tomato?"
It said that 150 grams of kaboom were discovered in a sandwich that was being delivered to inmate Charbel Shalita, the murderer of Roland Chbeir.

The National News Agency later reported that a members of prison security was delivering the sandwich to the prisoner.

The explosives were discovered on the security guard during a routine security check as he was entering the prison to start his shift.

He confessed that Shalita had requested that he obtain the explosives that can be used to heat water.

The NNA added however that the material, with certain modifications, can be turned into an explosive substance.

According to the prisoners, this was not the first time that kaboom was smuggled into the prison, and to its B block in particular where Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred.
inmates are being tossed in the slammer
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
, reported LBCI.

After the discovery in the sandwiches, Shalita was interrogated by state Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr and his cell was searched.

Investigations are underway to determine to whom the explosives were being smuggled to, said LBCI.

The NNA said however that Shalita, under pressure from the Fatah al-Islam inmates, was going to transfer the explosives to them.

Shalita was placed in durance vile
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
in 2012 after confessing to the murder of his friend Roland Chbeir in October of that year.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Long-Awaited Trial of Nahr al-Bared Detainees Kicks Off at Roumieh Prison

2013-09-28

[An Nahar] The long-awaited trial of a number of Islamist detainees held over the Nahr al-Bared festivities got underway Friday at the recently-inaugurated trial room in the Roumieh prison, state-run National News Agency reported.

The trial room was recently built specifically for this purpose.

The Judicial Council, presided over by Judge Jean Fahd, convened amid strict security measures at the external and internal courtyards of Roumieh, NNA said.

The public and the news hounds were able to see the defendants through a glass barrier and via two huge screens that were installed on two of the court's walls. Only four lawyers were present at the trial room, which was designed to accommodate around 200 family members and defense counsels, according to the news agency.

In the evening, the Judicial Council adjourned the trial to January 17, 2014.

On July 15, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel inspected the courtroom in Roumieh, which he said was ready to start the trial of inmates.

The courtroom "saves us the effort to transport the prisoners (to the Justice Palace) and it provides security protection," he said. "It also speeds up the trials of not just the Islamists but all the inmates," he added.

Roumieh, the oldest and largest of Leb's overcrowded prisons, has witnessed sporadic prison breaks and escalating riots in recent years as inmates living in poor conditions demand better treatment.

Pretrial hearings for 86 Islamists were held at Beirut's Justice Palace in February, the first legal action taken by the Lebanese judiciary ahead of their trial.

Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi had promised speedy trials for the Islamists without political intervention.

The Nahr al-Bared Paleostinian refugee camp in northern Leb was almost totally destroyed during a months-long conflict between the Lebanese army and the al-Qaeda-inspired group Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred.
in 2007.

The fighting killed some 400 people, including 168 soldiers. Some Islamist leaders escaped despite the army siege of the camp.

The inmates were tossed in the clink
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
on charges of fighting or aiding the Fatah al-Islam fighters in Nahr al-Bared that lies near the northern coastal city of Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
Several of them have beat feet from Roumieh in daring prison breaks.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Saqr Charges 10 with Belonging to al-Nusra Front

2013-03-16

[An Nahar] State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Friday ten people with belonging to an armed group and al-Nusra Front.

The state-run National News Agency reported that the 10 men include Shadi al-Mawlawi, who was released on bail upon his arrest in the northern city of Tripoli in May last year, and another detained man.

Mawlawi was charged then with belonging to a terrorist group.

Later, LBCI reported that the detainee was identified as Amine Khaled who admitted during interrogations that the group coordinates with Fatah al-Islam leader Osama al-Shahabi.

Al-Shahabi is currently present at the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon, the channel said.

Saqr accused the men of belonging to an armed group and al-Nusra Front to carry out terrorist acts and transfer arms between Lebanon and Syria.

Mawlawi told LBCI that the judicial system is corrupt and he doesn't "trust it," considering that the charges are "invalid" and "useless."

He called on the judiciary to issue arrest warrants against Hizbullah first, warning against any attempts to arrest him.

"All security agencies know my movements," Mawlawi told the channel.

The al-Nusra Front, completely unknown before the rebellion in Syria that began two years ago, has been a rebel standard-bearer since mid-2012 when it became the spearhead of the insurgency ahead of the Free Syrian Army.

The organization has been blacklisted in December by the United States as a "terrorist" organization and makes no secret of its aim for Syria to become an Islamist state.

Saqr referred the suspects to the First Military Magistrate.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Ain el-Hilweh Tense after Fatah al-Islam Official Shot and Wounded

2013-03-12

[An Nahar] Gunmen went on alert Monday in the ~~One Big Hellhole~~ Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, after a member of the extremist Fatah al-Islam group was shot and wounded.

The incident also left a Palestinian passerby identified as Khaled Ahmed al-Masri dead and three other people wounded, state-run National News Agency reported.

"Fatah al-Islam official Bilal Bader, his brother Kamal, a child named Omar Akroum and an unidentified woman were wounded when an unknown assailant opened fire on them," NNA reported earlier on Monday.

"The Palestinian Follow-Up Committee is conducting a series of contacts in a bid to resolve the situation and restore calm," NNA said.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Protesters Ask for 'Justice' for Islamist Prisoners

2013-02-25

[An Nahar] Hundreds of protesters demanded on Sunday that trial procedures be accelerated for Islamist prisoners, who have been held in Roumieh prison without charge since 2007, and vowed an uprising and "vengeance" against the authorities.

"We ask today for justice or else let them (officials) burn in hell," they said at the protest held in downtown Beirut's Martyrs Square.

The protest was given a boost by controversial Salafist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir, who came along with his supporters from the southern city of Sidon to Beirut to attend the rally.

"We are being treated this way because we are members of the defeated (Sunni) sect," said al-Asir in a speech.

He called for "an Intifada to end the hegemony."

He also accused some judges at the military court of coming under political pressure, saying "we don't have trust in your magistrates and your tribunal."

Addressing President Michel Suleiman
...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too...
and every official, al-Asir said: "Release them immediately because we don't accept that they be tried after being seized for six years."

Most other speakers at the protest warned the Lebanese authorities that the families and supporters of the detainees "won't remain silent" and will "take vengeance."

"They should be released through fair trials," they said, adding they would call for compensations.

Pretrial hearings for 86 Islamists were held at Beirut's Justice Palace earlier this month, the first legal action taken by the Lebanese judiciary ahead of their trial.

Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi has promised speedy trials for the Islamists without political intervention.

Sunday's protest caused bumper-to-bumper traffic at Beirut's entrances, mainly in Dora, after security forces set up checkpoints ahead of the event.

The Nahr al-Bared Paleostinian refugee camp in northern Leb was almost totally destroyed during a months-long conflict between the Lebanese military and the al-Qaeda-inspired group Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred.
in 2007.

The fighting killed some 400 people, including 168 soldiers.

Some Islamist leaders escaped despite the army siege of the camp.

The inmates were locked away
Please don't kill me!
on charges of fighting or aiding the Fatah al-Islam fighters in Nahr al-Bared that lies near the northern coastal city of Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Death penalty sought for Islamist 'prince' over jail murder

2013-01-28

Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr requested the death penalty Monday for a Lebanese prisoner known as "the prince of Islamists" over the killing of a fellow inmate earlier this month, judicial sources told The Daily Star.

Yes, a punishment of some sort does seem in order.

Saqr's request comes in accordance with Article 549 of the Penal Code.

A police investigation revealed that Mohammad Youssef, also known as Abu Walid, gave orders to eight prisoners of the militant group Fatah al-Islam to kill Palestinian Ghassan Qindaqli.

Qindaqli, who was found hanging in his cell at the prison's Bloc B on Jan. 18, was serving a life sentence on multiple counts of murder and other drug-related offences in Roumieh Prison, Lebanon's largest.

Last week, Saqr issued an indictment against eight Islamists for the premeditated murder of Qindaqli. He also charged three Gendarmerie prison guards with "negligence of duty."

The men turned themselves in on condition that interrogations take place inside the prisoners' cells, security sources have said.

Police negotiated with the inmates last week via Muslim sheikhs in order to prevent bloodshed after the Army and police were ready to storm Bloc B where Fatah al-Islam detainees are.

Islamist inmates who have gone on hunger strike and carried out several riots throughout the years have imposed somewhat of a de facto rule in Bloc B.

Link

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