Thailand Jails Alleged Hizbullah Bomb Suspect
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Thailand on Wednesday sentenced a Swedish citizen of Lebanese origin to two years and eight months in prison for possession of materials that could be used to make a bomb.
Atris Hussein, 49, was arrested in January last year after a tip-off from Israel's secret services that Hizbullah members planned to attack Thailand during the New Year.
He was convicted for possessing about 2,800 kilos (2.8 tons) of ammonium nitrate, which is commonly used in agriculture but when mixed with other substances can make a bomb. Its possession requires a permit in Thailand.
"The court found him guilty of illegal armament possession and sentenced him to four years in jail, but due to his useful testimony during the investigation and hearing his sentence is reduced by one-third to two years and eight months," a judge said.
The court said investigators could not prove Hussein had links with Hizbullah.
Hussein, who had faced a maximum of five years in jail, denied the charges and the alleged links to Hizbullah.
Before his arrest, the United States had warned of a "serious" threat of a terrorist attack on tourist areas in Bangkok.
A smiling Hussein hugged his wife and daughter after the ruling.
Asked how he felt, he replied: "I'm happy.”
His lawyer Wittaya Buranasin said the defense would appeal.
"The investigation process should follow the law. Hussein himself said clearly he did not have a lawyer present when he was questioned," Wittaya said.
In a separate case, two Iranian men were last month sentenced to between 15 years and life for their parts in a botched bomb plot last year in Bangkok that ended with one of them having his legs blown off.
The pair were among five Iranians suspected of involvement in blasts that Israel linked to a 2012 spate of attacks on its diplomats around the world.
18 September 2013, 11:48
186
not only was he not hezbollah, but the whole case was about having common fertilizers without license.
18 September 2013, 12:35
813
LOL @ Thailand!!!!! A country where you can buy honor and justice for a few iranian riyals is now claiming virtue. This innocent swedish citizen, Atris Hussein 49, was unlawfully arrested simply because he loves agriculture and loves to enrich the soil with ammonium nitrate. This chemical is well known to kill harmful soil worms that tend to eat vegetable roots and banana trees. His only sin is he happened to be Atris, a Shia of Lebanese origin. The zionist state tipped off the Thai authorities who could not prove NOTHING!!!!! It is a shame we have reached this state where one's love for the environment and being "yellow" is rewarded with jail sentences. Tfehhhhhh
18 September 2013, 12:48
176
actually you're right, he is shia so he must be a terrorists, it's a known fact that shia religion forbids agriculture, therefore the only possible use for those fertilizers was to make bombs.
18 September 2013, 13:34
146
all that comment to call him a liar because he said "naharnet said". you really must have nothing else to do, or no other point to put forward.
and FYI habboub, whether or not it's a copy paste, if naharnet repeats it, then naharnet said it.
18 September 2013, 08:52
178
"The court said investigators could not prove Hussein had links with Hizbullah."
18 September 2013, 08:58
913
It looks like Thailand has joined the Israeli-US-Saudi-jihadist-canibal conspiracy.
18 September 2013, 11:39
710
@ flamethrower:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/370313/lebanese-swede-jailed-for-possession-of-bomb-making-materials
naharnet did not make up his description...and the title does say "...ALLEGED Hizbullah Bomb Suspect"
Alleged: (of an incident or a person) said, without proof, to have taken place or to have a specified illegal or undesirable quality.
18 September 2013, 14:56
45
It is ridiculous to always defend them as well ya southy...
18 September 2013, 22:03
43
Don't cry that the rest of us did not warn you of such direct consequential repercussions. This guy, Atris Hussein, is not some punk kid off the street who someone gave him a suspicious package to deliver. Today, it is common knowledge anywhere in the world that purchasing and/or storing large quantities of fertilizers is a crime in most countries or raise suspicions in smaller communities. This guy is either a terrorist or stupid. May be a combination of both.
