Asiri Expresses Relief over al-Majed's Arrest, Push for DNA Testing
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri expressed relief on Thursday over the arrest of Majed al-Majed, the "emir" of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, the al-Qaida linked group that claimed a double suicide bombing at the Iranian embassy in November.
“If DNA tests prove that the person detained is al-Majed then we're extremely thrilled,” Asiri said in comments published in the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat newspaper.
He pointed out that al-Majed “assaulted his country before attacking the Iranian Embassy,” pointing out that his country has been pursuing him before the twin suicide bombing that targeted Tehran's embassy in Beirut.
The diplomat, who currently resides in Riyadh, said that Saudi Arabia had previously issued a global alert over al-Majed's status.
In November, Saudi Arabia's embassy in Beirut has called on citizens to leave Lebanon because of the dangerous situation.
The warning came two days after a twin suicide bombings killed 25 people near the Beirut embassy of Saudi's regional rival Iran, which is located in the stronghold of Tehran ally Hizbullah.
Sources close to Asiri said in comments to al-Hayat that the delay in announcing the arrest of al-Majed is “due to Saudi Arabia's desire to confirm his identity through DNA tests.”
“Information obtained by the Lebanese authorities indicate that the detained person is al-Majed,” the sources noted.
According to the report, al-Majed was submitted to a hospital where he is undergoing treatment over kidney failure and under maximum security.
The newspaper said that contacts are ongoing between Asiri and Lebanese authorities to coordinate measures.
“It's normal to coordinate with the Lebanese authorities to continue the required legal measures in order to hand him over to Saudi Arabia if his identity was confirmed.”
He told AFP: “He was arrested by the intelligence services of the Lebanese army in Beirut.”
He did not specify when the arrest took place.
“He was wanted by the Lebanese authorities and is currently being interrogated in secret," the minister added.
Ghosn later denied to various media outlets that he had made any statements regarding the arrest.
Saudi Arabia's interior ministry also confirmed that Majid Mohammed Abdullah al-Majid, a Saudi citizen, was on a list of 85 suspects wanted by the kingdom.
The Azzam Brigades was designated in the United States as a "terrorist organization" in 2012, and has in the past claimed responsibility for firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon.
The group was formed in 2009 and is believed to have branches in both the Arabian Peninsula and Lebanon, with the latter named after Ziad al-Jarrah, a Lebanese citizen who participated in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The Lebanon branch has sporadically fired rockets into northern Israel since 2009 and the Brigades also claimed responsibility for the 2010 bombing of a Japanese oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
It is named for the Palestinian mentor of the late al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden. He was killed in a 1989 bomb blast.
According to Islamist sites, Majid was revealed to be the leader of the Brigades in 2012.
On Wednesday, a Twitter account belonging to Sirajeddin Zreikat, a member of the Sunni Muslim extremist group, appeared to have been suspended.
Zreikat had claimed responsibility in the group's name for the November 19 double bombing at the Iranian embassy in Beirut.
The attack came amid rising tension in Lebanon over the role of the Iran-backed Hizbullah in the war in neighboring Syria.
In 2009, Lebanese authorities sentenced Majid in absentia to life in prison for belonging to a different extremist group, the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam.
That organization was involved in heavy fighting with the Lebanese army in 2007 in the Palestinian Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon, in which more than 400 people were killed, including 168 soldiers.
After the fighting, many members of the group took refuge in the Ain al-Helweh Palestinian camp, which is believed to house numerous Islamist extremists.
Prominent Fatah leader Munir al-Maqdah said that al-Majed lef Ain el-Helweh in mid-2012 for Syria.
“He left the camp with a group and went to Syria,” Maqdah added.
02 January 2014, 08:56
5110
m8 guys are unable to realize that a terrorist is a terrorist, whether Iranian, Saudi Russian or whatever.
a terrorist is a terrorist, and all terrorists should be caught or killed the sooner the better.
the most dangerous for us Lebanese are the Iranian extremist terrorists: they should be eradicated.
02 January 2014, 12:01
1045
This person got some real bad intel on Saudi, that is why they want him in their custody.
02 January 2014, 13:18
743
“It's normal to coordinate with the Lebanese authorities to continue the required legal measures in order to hand him over to Saudi Arabia if his identity was confirmed.”
they just want to put him in a 5 star prison, like they do with all terrorists there
http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/15572
02 January 2014, 13:19
842
more here
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/19/saudi-arabia-opens-luxury-religious-extremist-rehab-centre-for-al-qaeda-militants/
02 January 2014, 13:28
738
also, as mystic said, they must be worried sick that he starts singing about saudi wahhabia's involvement.
02 January 2014, 15:14
405
wow.... 12 votes so far for mowaten!!!! Strong beginning to 2014...!!!!!!
02 January 2014, 10:01
949
Why are the Saudis carrying on like they believe he will be handed over to them for crimes he committed in Saudia Wahhabia?
Doesn't matter who it is or from which country they come, any person caught committing a crime in a foreign country gets punished by that countries laws.
Australia has a few blokes in Bali on death row for trying to smuggle drugs out of Bali.
This guy needs to be punished in Lebanon by the Lebanese government!
02 January 2014, 10:36
445
This is a proof that m8 accusations against m14 and Saudi that they harbor Islamist terrorist are baseless.
Saudi is fighting Qaeda every day yet FT and co. believe so candidly (or stupidly) that m14 and soir disant their saudi masters are takfiris.
The irony of all that is we have HA and Syria caught red handed planting bombs, with all the proofs we can imagine and FT & co still negate those facts.
C'est la raisin du plus fort est la meilleure. I would rather say, du plus con.
02 January 2014, 13:24
941
i love m14ers attempts at "proofs", it's a very unusual concept for them, habitually they dont need proof because they have hariri and sanioura's tweets, but when they try like pierrotgourmand they are endearingly clumsy with it.
here's a free tip: a speech never constitutes a proof of anything, never. and even less so when it's by a degenerate liar.
02 January 2014, 15:32
355
@Mowaten : you should shut up when you talk about "proof". We're still waiting for Kezbollah's "proof" on Hariri's assassination.
Also, you guys are the first ones to accuse others without any proof whatsoever. The Hariri case took almost 10 years of evidence gathering before starting with proceedings. You guys accuse "Israel" or "Takfiris" or "Saudis" before they even do anything ...
You're funny ... you truly are !
02 January 2014, 11:18
291
Hope they send him to KSA and not put him in Roumieh.
Ba3ed na2esna min hal bda3a bi Roumieh
02 January 2014, 11:31
391
Why does it matter where he is convicted? Would you like to visit him in Roumieh? He will rot in either country.
02 January 2014, 11:42
401
Anybody who thinks that Saudi,Syrian , Lebanese , Iranian , American , Israeli , etc etc etc secret services don't work together and co ordinate is a fool.
A coin has 2 faces . But it'd still just the one coin.
Same with all these " enemy" countries.
They argue and bicker and sometimes fight, but they all have the same goal.
You fools keep picking sides.
But the flag of Islam will forever fly.
02 January 2014, 12:41
538
just to refresh memories ,90%of the 911 terrorist attack were saoudis
02 January 2014, 12:53
465
All your feeble attempts to tarnish my impeccable online reputation will fail. Shame on you!
02 January 2014, 12:56
434
Well said @peace. Very accurate description of Flamethrower and his fake accounts.
02 January 2014, 13:00
144
Me too, I express relief at the arrest of this terrorist, it is always good to have the bad guys caught and sent firmly behind very thick bars. But at the same time, my post will remain vacant of reason if I do not mention this: That it has been noticeably clear of recent, in view of the fact that both M8 and M14 are being targeted in the terror attacks, yet it remains a profound chagrin to see that when it concerns the attacks on M8, the state catches the culprits rather quickly, and when it comes to the victims of M14, foot dragging remains the order of the day. What adds insults to injury is the mockery that still keeps coming from the M8 side. My warning to the state and to M8, do not let this continue forever, since most Lebanese detest this fixture, let justice be done equally and fairly to all sides and all will be just fine.
02 January 2014, 13:26
741
many m14ers put their country above all other considerations. their country being saudi wahhabia, evidently.
02 January 2014, 13:30
412
it is not because you hold iran for your mother country that everyone does like you....
it is all in your wet dreams and ridiculous propaganda because without it you d have NOTHING to say....
02 January 2014, 14:14
392
@leb_roar.... why is it when you appear, the vote count suddenly increases triple fold.
02 January 2014, 14:16
641
sure peace, sure.
btw did you know that saad hariri is saudi? and therefore the saudi king is his king?
02 January 2014, 14:48
434
Relief or anxiety? Will investigations reveal a very clear link between Saudi funding, the February 14 Saudi-Wahabi coalition, and this al Majed terrorist, as suspected? Why were 3 billion terrorist dollars donated by the kingdom of terrorism to Lebanon right as this terrorist was caught?
02 January 2014, 14:49
384
what a stupid logic mooowaten as usual... then i guess the FPMers with french nationality have hollande as their president, the hundreds of lebanese with american passports have obama as their president....
but your iranian militia pledging allegiance to iran is a fact that they OBEY iran and not lebanon....
what weak and ridiculous arguments you bring to try and appear what you will never be, that is .... intelligent....
02 January 2014, 14:50
533
This terrorist MUST NOT be handed over to the kingdom of terrorism.
15 January 2014, 16:27
20
who is giving all these thumbs up? those with the most thumbs up are they happy with the thumb up?
15 January 2014, 17:18
21
imagine a simple "hahahaha" gets you 40 votes up! Shameless people.
