Fugitive Held Trying to Smuggle 'Chemical Substances' to Arsal Outskirts
A Lebanese fugitive was arrested Wednesday as he was trying to smuggle “chemical substances that could be used in bomb-making” to the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.
“Today, army forces in the Arsal region arrested the fugitive Ahmed Khaled al-Hujeiri as he was trying to smuggle chemical substances that could be used in bomb-making to the town's outskirts,” the Army Command said in a statement.
Arsal lies 12 kilometers from the border with Syria and has been used as a conduit for weapons and rebels to enter Syria, while also serving as a refuge for people fleeing the conflict.
Jihadists from the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front groups, who are entrenched in the outskirts, stormed the town in August 2014 and engaged in deadly battles with the army following the arrest of a top militant.
They withdrew from Arsal at the end of the fighting, but kidnapped a number of troops and policemen. A few have since been released, four were executed, while the rest remain held.
Separately, the Army Command said in its statement on Wednesday that Syrian national Abdul Rahman Sheikh Moussa was apprehended in the Bint Jbeil town of Aytaroun on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist group.
Y.R.
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