Saniora Says Tripoli Van Attackers Should be Brought to Justice

Al-Mustaqbal bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora condemned on Sunday the attack on residents of a rival neighborhood in the northern city of Tripoli, saying the perpetrators should be brought to justice.

“This heinous crime that targeted Lebanese civilians from Jabal Mohsen only serves Lebanon's enemies and reminds us of the suspicious crimes that it has been recently witnessing,” Saniora said in a statement.

The former prime minister was referring to an armed attack a day earlier on a van carrying passengers from mostly Alawite Jabal Mohsen.

At least six men were wounded on Saturday when the van with eight passengers on board came under attack by masked gunmen in the area of al-Tabbaneh near Dar al-Salam school.

The assailants took the passengers at gunpoint to local streets in the area and shot six of them in their feet.

Jabal Mohsen's residents are “our brethren,” Saniora said in his statement, adding the assailants “should be tried.”

He stressed that al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc “condemns and rejects” such a crime, saying the judicial authorities should carry out the necessary investigation and punish the perpetrators.

Tripoli is the scene of frequent Syria-linked battles, that pit Sunnis from Bab al-Tabbaneh against Alawites in Jabal Mohsen.