'Hoblos Confessions' Lead to Arrest of Syrian in al-Zahriyeh

A Syrian national was arrested Sunday by the Internal Security Forces in the northern city of Tripoli, following “confessions” by detained Islamist cleric Sheikh Khaled Hoblos, media reports said.

“The ISF Intelligence Branch arrested Ahmed Mohammed Abdo, 42, following confessions by Khaled Hoblos,” LBCI television reported.

Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) meanwhile said Abdo went by the nicknames al-Ishmawi and Abou Musaab and that he worked at a fast food restaurant in al-Zahriyeh.

The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat had reported Sunday that "a third suspect" was revealed to have been seized during the arrest of Hoblos on Thursday.

It did not identify the suspect, adding however that he belongs to the same extremist group as that of Osama Mansour, the dangerous extremist who was killed during the operation to arrest Hoblos.

A security source stressed the secrecy of the investigations with Hoblos and the two other detainees.

Hoblos, his driver Amir al-Kurdi, and the third suspect were arrested during an ISF Intelligence Branch operation in Tripoli late on Thursday.

Osama Mansour and his companion Ahmed al-Nazer were killed in the operation.

Mansour was the leader of a group affiliated with the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida's Syria franchise.

Soon after the security operation, Sirajeddine Zureiqat, a so-called spokesman of the al-Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades, warned security forces of targeting Islamists in Tripoli.

Hoblos and Mansour had been wanted for taking part in clashes with the army in Tripoli in October 2014 and were suspected of links to jihadist organizations in Syria.

Mansour, along with prominent fugitive Shadi al-Mawlawi, was wanted for leading armed groups that engaged in deadly gunbattles with the army in Tripoli and its surrounding areas in October.

Mansour and al-Mawlawi were also charged with recruiting people for the purpose of carrying out terrorist attacks, assaulting the army and planting bombs.

M.T./Y.R.