Army Defuses Bomb Planted in Passenger Van in Arsal
The army on Monday dismantled a bomb that was placed in a van with the aim of “assassinating” its owner, state-run National News Agency reported.
“The Lebanese army defused an explosive device weighing two kilograms that was planted in a passenger van owned by Ahmed Ezzeddine, who hails from the (Bekaa border) town of Arsal,” NNA said.
The agency revealed that the bomb was “placed under the driver's seat with the aim of assassinating him.”
The army later issued a statement confirming that an explosive device “weighing 2 kilograms and connected to a detonator, a 9-volt battery and a remote controller was discovered in a white SsangYong van in Arsal.”
“Army forces found a suspicious SsangYong van parked on the al-Jammal road in Arsal, which prompted them to cordon off the area and call in a military expert,” the statement said.
The bomb “was defused and moved to a safe location as Military Police launched a probe into the incident,” the statement added.
The army had tightened its security measures in the town in the wake of fierce clashes with jihadist militants that left 20 soldiers and several civilians dead in early August.
On September 19, three soldiers were killed and three others were wounded after their vehicle was targeted by a roadside bomb in Arsal.
And on October 3, the army defused a bomb weighing around 50 kilograms that was placed in a garbage bin in the town.
According to the National News Agency, acts of sabotage and armed violence have been on the rise in recent weeks in Arsal, where gunmen are trying to "take back the town to the atmosphere of August 2."
“There are intentions to carry out systematic operations involving kidnap and murder,” NNA said on Friday.
"Masked gunmen have been shooting at surveillance cameras in the main and side streets and public squares of Arsal,” NNA added, noting that the armed men are “moving on motorcycles and using pump-action rifles.”
Y.R.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/154751 |