Alleged Booby-Trapped Cars Stolen around Same Time, Currently Kept in Syria's Yabrud
Investigation revealed on Tuesday that the eight booby-trapped cars whose description was recently made public for suspecting their use in possible future bombings were all stolen in 2013 by a person called Eid Rasamni.
"Investigation revealed that these vehicles were all stolen around the same time by Eid Rasamni,” LBCI television said.
It added: “Rasamni was paid a certain amount of money to hand over the vehicles to several people and networks that were positioned in the Bekaa.”
LBCI had broadcast on Monday what it called a “security” list circulated by the army's Intelligence Bureau that identify eight cars that “could be used in terrorist acts,” demanding security checkpoints to seize these vehicles.
LBCI noted on Tuesday that the Anti-Theft Bureau arrested Assadallah Assi and Nabil Moussawi, who was held on charges of selling cars that were booby-trapped in Beirut's southern suburbs.
Moussawi admitted that he had transferred two cars to a person from the Tlais family in the Bekaa town of Brital, who in his turn sold them to a person who hails from the Syrian town of Yabrud, according to LBCI.
"All stolen cars were transferred from Mount Lebanon to Brital, and then to Yabrud.”
LBCI provided also information on the owners of the stolen vehicles: “The Range Rover car belongs to Milad Saade who hails from the Keserwan district, the BMW is owned by Excellent car rental office, Amal Masri's Hyundai CR-V was robbed in Kfar Meshki, the Nissan Sunny is owned by al-Jada rent a car in Jbeil, the Hyundai Getz is owned by al-Mada rent-a-car that is located in the Shouf region of Aley, the Nissan Altima is owned by Moufid Shayya and the Kia Cerato is owned by Bassel Radwan that both hail from Aley while the Chevrolet Aveo belongs to Option car rental office.”
It interviewed one victim of these theft incidents, who revealed he was robbed in August 2013.
"We knew it was in Brital but no one contacted us,” he told the TV station, adding that he was informed that the thieves were in the Syrian town of al-Qalamoun.
Meanwhile, a security source told MTV that these cars were either booby-trapped inside Lebanon or in neighboring countries.
"In Lebanon, the cars have been either stolen or rented using fake identification papers and have been booby-trapped inside Palestinian camps or in border regions in the North or the Bekaa. These cars cross the border using fake identification documents,” the source said.
"Brital is the site for forging false identification documents using very accurate seals,” it noted.
"Whereas cars booby-trapped outside Lebanon are transferred from Syria, particularly from Yabrud and other regions controlled by the Syrian regime, or they are transferred from Iraq where terrorist groups are located.”
Lebanon has recently been the scene of several booby-trapped car explosions that have killed and wounded dozens of civilians.
The latest round of bombings targeted the Bekaa's Hermel region and Beirut's southern suburbs of Haret Hreik, that was hit twice by blasts in January.
And in December 27, 2013, a huge explosion targeted the convoy of former Finance Minister Mohammed Shatah, killing him and several others that were at the scene of the blast.
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