Protests Erupt in Tripoli over Ruling in 2008 Attack in City

Protests broke out in the northern city of Tripoli on Tuesday over a ruling against the imam of the Amira Mosque over his links to the 2008 bombing in the city's Tall area.

Scuffles erupted between the angry protesters and the army at the city's Abdul Hamid Karami square.

The security forces promptly fired tear gas at the demonstrators to disperse them.

The Judicial Council sentenced on Tuesday the Imam of the Amira mosque Sheikh Tarek Merhi to 15 years in jail without the possibility to appeal the ruling over his link to the Tall bombing.

An initial ruling had acquitted the cleric.

His brother Ahmed Merhi revealed that the demonstrators headed towards the Tripoli residence of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati to protest the ruling.

Ten officers and three civilians were killed in the Tall attack against the army on August 13, 2008.

The militant group Fatah al-Islam was suspected of being behind the attacks.

Later on Tuesday, the judicial ruling in the Tall attack case was published.

It said that ten soldiers and three civilians were killed in the 2008 blast, while 37 soldiers and nine civilians were injured.

A number of nearby stores and vehicles were damaged.

Abdul Ghani Jawhar was identified as the main executor of the attack, saying that he had arrived in Tripoli at 8:00 a.m. on August 13.

He was dressed as a soldier and was carrying a case filled with TNT.

Tarek Merhi and others were sentenced to 15 years in jail over their connection to the attack.

Conflicting reports emerged over Jawhar's fate, with some saying he was killed in fighting in Syria in 2012.

They said he was killed while preparing an explosive device to be used against the Syrian army and other reports stated he died while fighting the regime forces.