Mashnouq: Islamist Inmates to Return to Roumieh's Block B after Renovations are Complete

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq revealed that Islamist inmates, who were moved out of Roumieh prison's block B, are set to return to the building after renovations there are complete, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

He told the daily that they will return to the block over three phases, first on March 1, then April 1, and May 1.

“They will be returned once the prison is transformed into a humanitarian facility that offers its inmates all of their needs,” he stressed.

The renovations will kick off on Monday.

Moreover, Mashnouq denied to al-Hayat that some Islamist inmates were wounded during their transfer from block B to D.

“They would have been treated by doctors had they been injured,” asserted the minister.

“Not a single drop of blood was shed during the operation,” he stated.

In addition, he told the daily that the families of the Islamists have been allowed to visit them starting January 17.

On Monday, the Internal Security Forces transferred detainees from block B where Islamists were being held after an investigation suggested that the January 10 suicide bombing in the northern city of Tripoli was directed from the facility.

The clearing of block B came after years of warnings that the overcrowded section was a meeting point for militants to plot attacks.

The inmates were transferred to block D, which has been renovated and has better security.

M.T.