Shahhal: New Defense Tactics to be Unveiled Soon, Arms Incident 'Exaggerated'

The founder of the salafist movement in Tripoli cleric Dai al-Islam al-Shahhal revealed on Monday that he will soon announce new defense tactics, pointing out that the army's confiscation of arms is being exaggerated.

“I will announce a new stage of defense,” Shahhal said in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper.

He noted that the case of weapons seized by the army from salafist Sheikh Bilal Diqmaq's apartment last week is “being handled in a negative manner.”

“The matter is being exaggerated,” the cleric told the daily.

“We have every right to be cautious and take the necessary precautions amid the lack of security and the state's incapability.”

On Friday, the army confiscated weapons from Diqmaq's apartment and issued an arrest warrant against him, several days after a similar move against Shahhal over his political stances.

Shahhal had said that the confiscated arms belong to his guards.

For his part, Diqmaq told al-Joumhouria that “he acts according to his personal will.”

“We have never called for the rise of an Islamist Emirat, which has no foundations in Lebanon.”

He told the newspaper that he contacted Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi to inform him that he's under the law.

H.K.

G.K.