Families of Three Men Charged by Judiciary of belonging to ISIL Denounce Accusations

The families of three young men detained by the Lebanese authorities on charges of belonging to a terrorist Qaida-Linked organization and of planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Lebanon slammed in a statement the accusations.

“Our sons were lured into heading to Syria but they didn't get blood on their hands. They left their houses to make their parents know their value,” a statement by the families of the northern region of Wadi Khaled said.

The statement pointed out that the three men decided to return home five days after they were deceived to head to Syria.

“They realized that it wasn't their path and extremism isn't their way of life and while on the way home they were detained by the army at al-Labwe checkpoint.”

The statement noted that the relatives of the three men informed security forces about their absence swiftly, slamming media outlets for portraying their sons as “terrorists.”

“We believe in coexistence under the law and our sons never knew and will never know terrorism,” the statement read.

The families appealed the state to place teenagers in rehabilitation facilities instead of prisons.

on Monday, Military Examining Magistrate Fadi Sawan interrogated Abdul Majid Hmeidan, Mohammed Ali and Alaa al-Mohammed on charges of belonging to the Qaida-affiliated group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

He also issued an arrest warrant against the three suspects and one in absentia against Omar al-Satem, who is still in Syria.

The al-Qaida-affiliated ISIL claimed credit in January for the deadly bombing in the Beirut southern suburb of Haret Hreik.

According to the state-run National News Agency, the three detainees have recently headed to Yabrud – Rima Farms and then to Dankuk in Syria where they met with the Emir of the ISIL, who is known as Abou al-Kheir.

The three have reportedly been taught about takfiris, suicide attacks and reasons to consider Shiites, Druze, Christians, Alawites, the Lebanese army, al-Nusra Front and the Free Syrian army as takfiris.

They were arrested by the army at the Bekaa's al-Labweh checkpoint.