Report: Syrian Probe Holds Fishermen Responsible for Arida Incident
Syrian authorities have said in their official report on the probe into the death of a 16-year-old Lebanese fisherman that his boat was in Syrian territorial waters when he was shot, informed sources told An Nahar daily published Friday.
The sources said that the head of the Higher Syrian-Lebanese Council, Nasri Khoury, handed over the report to President Michel Suleiman on Thursday.
Maher Hamad was killed on Saturday after the Syrian navy opened fire on his boat off the northern Lebanese town of Arida. His uncles Fadi and Khaled Hamad, who were with him, were seized and handed over to the Lebanese army the next day.
Khaled, 35, was treated for gunshot wounds to the leg while his brother Fadi, 36, said he was taken to a military intelligence center in the Syrian coastal town of Tartus where he was beaten and interrogated on whether he was an arms smuggler.
While An Nahar’s sources refused to give more details on the report, they stressed that no one can approach the area where the incident took place without any prior permission from the Lebanese army.
But informed sources denied to al-Joumhouria newspaper that Khoury handed over the report to Suleiman.
They said that Khoury only explained to the president the circumstances of the incident and the contacts made by high-ranking Lebanese officials, including Suleiman, which led to the release of the two fishermen and the body of the teen.
Khoury also met with Premier Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail on Friday.
When asked about the incident, he said: “The Syrian side carried out a full investigation and I believe the Lebanese army has all the information linked to the probe.”
“If Lebanon wants to have a copy of the investigation, then Syria is ready to provide it,” he added.
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