Arrest Warrant Issued against Naim Abbas, Female Suspect on Terrorism Charges

Arrest warrants were issued on Monday against Naim Abbas, a top official in the al-Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades, and a female suspect on terrorism charges.

Military Examining Magistrate Judge Sawan issued arrest warrants against Abbas and Joumana Hmeid for belonging to an armed terrorist group for the purpose of carrying out terrorist attacks.

They were also charged with preparing and transporting booby-trapped vehicles from Syria to Lebanon to detonate them in residential areas.

Hmeid is the driver of the booby-trapped Kia vehicle that the army intercepted on February 12 on the Arsal-al-Labweh road.

Abbas is a Palestinian described as Abdullah Azzam Brigades' number two man in Lebanon.

He was previously charged with belonging to an armed terrorist network.

He was also charged with involvement in two bombings that have rocked the Haret Hreik district of Beirut's southern suburbs.

He was arrested by the Lebanese army in the Beirut neighborhood of Corniche al-Mazraa on February 12.

Several of the latest bombings in Hizbullah strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa valley have been claimed by the Abdullah Azzam Brigades whose leader, Majed al-Majed, was captured by Lebanese authorities in December and died in custody later.