Samaha Said he Sought to 'Create a Shock' and Knew about Informer
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Former Information Minister Michel Samaha, who was indicted in bombing attack plots on political and religious figures in Lebanon, has said he “wanted to create a shock.”
On Wednesday, Military Examining Magistrate Riyad Abu Ghida indicted Samaha, who was arrested in August, and Syrian security official Brig. Gen. Ali Mamlouk on terrorism charges and called for the death sentence.
Abu Ghida said Samaha and Mamlouk should be given the ultimate punishment "for transporting explosives from Syria to Lebanon in an attempt to assassinate Lebanese political and religious leaders.”
The judge also issued a warrant to uncover the full identity of a second Syrian official, identified as Col. Adnan, implicated in smuggling the explosives to Lebanon.
The indictment said Samaha told the Syrian colonel and general that he would recruit people to carry out attacks in the northern Akkar region targeting Syrian rebels and weapons smugglers to Syria.
It said Mamlouk told Samaha that "hindering weapons smuggling into Syria and carrying out attacks against Syrian gunmen and smugglers is good for the Syrian regime."
After coordinating with the informer Milad Kfouri, Samaha was given large quantities of explosives by Adnan and Mamlouk and transported them in his personal car to Beirut, said the 65-page indictment.
But Samaha knew that Kfouri was an informer.
Asked by investigators why he went ahead with the transfer of explosives as long as he knew that Kfouri would implicate him, Samaha said: “I wanted to create a shock to stop the security chaos in the area of Akkar and to take serious measures on the border to end the interference in what's happening in Syria.”
“I did it for Lebanon. I have always been a negotiator and a mediator to bring viewpoints closer and I have never been involved in any security incident before,” he said.
Samaha is also accused of "inciting sectarian strife.”
An arrest warrant for Mamlouk was issued on February 4.
Samaha's lawyer, Sakhr al-Hashem told An Nahar daily, that he and his client respected the indictment.
But he stressed that he would submit documents during the trial that contradict some parts of the indictment.
21 February 2013, 08:54
010
Shock and Awe? I am still shocked that a person like Samaha would dare to transport explosives in his car. Is he an expert in handling this shit or he thought he had sack of potatoes in the trunk. Then who need HA in that case, Samaha was going to protect that part of the Syrian border. LMAO
21 February 2013, 09:18
49
He did it for Lebanon ! He sacrified himself for us ! oh what a hero !
21 February 2013, 11:19
66
oh, I know that.
I do not count on votes.
all I seek on this blog is to vent my opinion. :)
21 February 2013, 09:45
39
To FlameThrower...I've read many comments on Naharnet by you and wonder why you waste your time with silly responses sometimes when it's evident that you can contribute in a more constructive manner. You' better than that and you know it. You may have a difference in opinion or a different point of view than many others, but you can play a much more positive role. You invest so much time here and it's a shame that other readers can't benefit from you more instead of reading that battering that goes on back-and-forth between you and other readers. It's really a shame
21 February 2013, 17:04
23
awww you got a groupie. That’s so cute. See all your hard work has paid off FT. I wish I had a groupie.
21 February 2013, 09:47
213
To FlameThrower...continuation due to 1000 character limitation. Suspend the systematic negativity and share with us a valuable educational opinion and a mentally nourishing stimulation of love for the country that we all love and want to preserve, rebuild, and protect. I'm writing this to you because I'm tired of seeing the bickering that goes on here between not just with you but everyone. We need to at least start by communicating in a healthier way and lead by example......that goes for everyone.
21 February 2013, 09:49
27
fine life in prison...
but I held a baby and kissed it on the forehead
ok the 20 years in prison...
but I held the elevator open for you once
ahhhh right then 5 years in prison...
pssst of the record there is a stack of a couple of million dollars with your name on it ;)
aha?? I declare Mr. Smaha as the greatest Lebanese hero that was going to use the explosives to blow up an asteroid before it wipes out all life on earth
21 February 2013, 10:06
213
I really don’t know how low could people go for a buck? I used to consider Samaha a gentleman. How deceptive appearances are! While Samaha should be given the full penalty under the law, how many of our politicians have committed much more than Samaha and are still at large for political or arms considerations. Lebanon is a country that has garbage leaders from Aoun to the highest in the echelon. It’s a pity that Lebanon is not given a breathing space to improve economically. Why on earth should Lebanon be a part of anything that has to do with Syria or Iran? Why should the Lebanese not work for the sake of Lebanon? Questions that many expatriate Lebanese invariably ask but the answers remain elusive and illogical.
21 February 2013, 10:07
34
I just noticed something interesting, look at the picture that the publisher has chosen, Smaha has a severe case of puppy dog eyes in it, a nice try to work on our subconscious, almost made me feel sorry for him :P
21 February 2013, 10:18
18
if he is given anything less than the death penalty, there should be an arab spring in Lebanon and all our leaders will meet ghaddafi
21 February 2013, 10:43
05
I hope for once politics will be kept out of this and justice will be left to take its course to the end without external interference.
If this happens at least we get a small hope that something migt be working right for once in Lebanon
21 February 2013, 10:45
07
Any criminal destabilizing Lebanon must be dealt with through a harsh punishment! Execute the bastards!
21 February 2013, 10:56
91
@True Self , allow me to answer , because Lebanon is not united and will never be ...Christians will always hate muslims and muslims will always hate christians .there's nothing called Lebanese , there's a christian and a muslim or a durzi ..etc ...
21 February 2013, 12:40
15
According to M8, Samaha is a nacional hero... according to internacional justice (and M14) he's a terrorist.
21 February 2013, 15:47
25
you like to get personal :) so why did he jump to his defense in the "first 5 minutes" (read 24 hours) if he didn't think that he was a hero and that he should stand up for him? well I suppose you're right I mean they didn't call him a "saint" like they did the hariri suspects. based on your logic, those hizbocrap guys are not all that bad. ghaaa2.
21 February 2013, 14:43
14
M8 supporters are crying tears of blood for Smaha...Hang him high let him rot in hell...
21 February 2013, 17:50
23
@ Lie Manufacturer FT, ya latif ya 3ammeh, even when ur Orange and Yellow propaganda masters get caught red handed they twist the outcome to their advantage. what you meant to say of course, is, that even this mighty BS M8 government couldn't sweep this terror act under the rug so they went along with throwing the book at their own man to save face. It's called the sacrificial lamb.
22 February 2013, 04:35
01
It does not make sense for M8 to condemn Samaha for this one crime masterminded in Syria for Syria while at the same time Thank Bashar for 1000+ similar crimes his regime committed while in Lebanon. If they defended Samaha at least they will be consistent.
22 February 2013, 08:14
01
what does shia in iraq have to do with this story you illegitimate twit
