An investigating magistrate began interrogating four pro-Syrian generals yesterday charged in the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, Justice Ministry officials said.
Lebanon's top prosecutor issued a preliminary criminal charge against the Lebanese generals late on Thursday, just hours after they were accused by a top UN investigator of allegedly playing a role in planning the Feb. 14 bombing that killed Hariri and 20 others.
Prosecutor-General Said Mirza referred the four suspects to investigating magistrate Elias Eid for interrogation, after which their fate will be decided. They could either be released, remain in custody or face arrest warrants.
Brigadier General Mustafa Hamdan, commander of the Presidential Guards Brigade, was the first interrogated yesterday after being brought from detention at police headquarters to the nearby Justice Ministry.
The other suspects are: Major General Jamil Sayyed, the former chief of General Security; Major General Ali Hajj, the former director general of the Internal Security Forces; and Brigadier General Raymond Azar, the former director general of military intelligence.
The three stepped down in April amid intense public criticism over their handling of the murder probe and claims of Syrian involvement in the killing.
The suspects led Lebanon's security services at the time Hariri was killed, held close ties with Lebanon's longtime powerbroker, Syria, and have been detained for questioning since Tuesday.
Hariri's son and political successor praised the UN investigation, particularly the declaration that the four generals were allegedly involved in his father's killing.
"It seems that the results achieved by the international investigation constitute essential steps towards uncovering the truth and the pursuit of justice," Saad Hariri said in a statement issued in Paris late on Thursday.
UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis said on Thursday that more people were involved in Hariri's assassination, but that no Syrian suspects had been identified yet. He said his 10-week investigation was, however, encountering "problems" in getting Syria to cooperate.
Syria had its army in Lebanon at the time of Hariri's death and controlled political and security affairs there for most of the last 29 years. Many Lebanese blamed Syria for Hariri's killing, which sparked anti-Syrian protests and intensified international pressure on Damascus to withdraw its army, a move completed in April. Since then, anti-Syrian groups led by Saad Hariri have swept to power in parliamentary elections.
Syria and its then-allied Lebanese government have denied involvement in Hariri's murder.
The slain premier's son urged all parties to cooperate with the investigation: "I repeat my demands that all factions, inside Lebanon or outside it, fully cooperate with the international probe."
While details of the investigation have been secret, local and Arab press have carried reports of alleged involvement of the generals in planning the attack and its subsequent cover-up.
Australia has announced an agreement with the tiny Pacific nation Nauru enabling it to send hundreds of immigrants to the barren island. The deal affects more than 220 immigrants in Australia, including some convicted of serious crimes. Australian Minister of Home Affairs Tony Burke signed the memorandum of understanding on a visit to Nauru, the government said in a statement on Friday. “It contains undertakings for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in Australia, to be received in Nauru,” it said. “Australia will provide funding to underpin this arrangement and support Nauru’s long-term economic
‘NEO-NAZIS’: A minister described the rally as ‘spreading hate’ and ‘dividing our communities,’ adding that it had been organized and promoted by far-right groups Thousands of Australians joined anti-immigration rallies across the country yesterday that the center-left government condemned, saying they sought to spread hate and were linked to neo-Nazis. “March for Australia” rallies against immigration were held in Sydney, and other state capitals and regional centers, according to the group’s Web site. “Mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together,” the Web site said. The group posted on X on Saturday that the rallies aimed to do “what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.” The group also said it was concerned about culture,
ANGER: Unrest worsened after a taxi driver was killed by a police vehicle on Thursday, as protesters set alight government buildings across the nation Protests worsened overnight across major cities of Indonesia, far beyond the capital, Jakarta, as demonstrators defied Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s call for calm. The most serious unrest was seen in the eastern city of Makassar, while protests also unfolded in Bandung, Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta. By yesterday morning, crowds had dispersed in Jakarta. Troops patrolled the streets with tactical vehicles and helped civilians clear trash, although smoke was still rising in various protest sites. Three people died and five were injured in Makassar when protesters set fire to the regional parliament building during a plenary session on Friday evening, according to
STILL AFLOAT: Satellite images show that a Chinese ship damaged in a collision earlier this month was under repair on Hainan, but Beijing has not commented on the incident Australia, Canada and the Philippines on Wednesday deployed three warships and aircraft for drills against simulated aerial threats off a disputed South China Sea shoal where Chinese forces have used risky maneuvers to try to drive away Manila’s aircraft and ships. The Philippine military said the naval drills east of Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) were concluded safely, and it did not mention any encounter with China’s coast guard, navy or suspected militia ships, which have been closely guarding the uninhabited fishing atoll off northwestern Philippines for years. Chinese officials did not immediately issue any comment on the naval drills, but they
RSS