Report: Rioters at Roumieh Prison Demanding to Return to Notorious Block B

Islamist inmates at Roumieh prison, who staged a riot two days ago at the facility's block D, were demanding to return to the notorious block B, An Nahar newspaper reported on Sunday.

The daily said that the Internal Security Forces reestablished full control of Roumieh's block D over two phases.

Interior Ministry sources told the daily that in the first stage ISF special panthers unit and anti-riot unit members, backed by the Lebanese army, deployed heavily near the facility.

At the second stage negotiations with the offenders kicked off to discuss their demands.

According to the sources, the inmates demanded to return to the facility's block B, which is currently under renovation.

“The renovation work at block B ends in two weeks... the inmates have been temporarily transferred to block D,” the sources said.

On Friday, the inmates took several guards hostage, including two medical officers, starting a riot at the facility.

In January, security forces took full control of the prison's block B after storming the overcrowded facility and seizing illegal items from Islamist prisoners.

Prisoners were all transferred to block D, which has been renovated and has better security.

There were around 190 Fatah al-Islam prisoners at the notorious prison's block B, which was known as a virtual no-go zone for security forces, where prisoners had access to laptops, phones and money.

The spokesman of the Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Sheikh Sirajeddin Zureikat, hailed the Roumieh riot over Twitter.

“The riot is a blessed gift from the Sunni prisoners who are suffering from the oppression of the Lebanese system that takes its orders from Iran's party,” he said in a tweet.

He made his remark in reference to the Iranian-backed Hizbullah.

Zureikat condemned the alleged discrimination against Sunnis in Lebanon, saying: “The slighted suspicion against a Sunni youth is enough to land him in jail without trial.”

Roumieh, the oldest and largest of Lebanon's overcrowded prisons, has witnessed sporadic prison breaks in recent years and escalating riots in recent years as inmates living in poor conditions demand better treatment.