Geagea Says to Sue Bassil for 'Misleading Investigation' into Assassination Bid
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday announced that he will sue Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil for “misleading the investigation” into the recent attempt on his life, accusing the Free Patriotic Movement and Hizbullah of practicing “psychological terrorism.”
“There is a ‘machine’ comprising high-level officials from Hizbullah and the FPM and I call it a machine of terrorism and oppression. Whenever an incident happens, they do the same thing by casting doubt on it and its motives,” Geagea said in an interview on Future TV.
“We will file a lawsuit against Jebran Bassil accusing him of misleading the investigation and he should have asked the ministers of interior and justice, the army and the security forces” about the authenticity of the assassination attempt, Geagea added.
The lawsuit will be filed on Tuesday or Wednesday, he said.
In a recent interview with al-Akhbar newspaper, Bassil questioned whether the supposed attempt on Geagea’s life had really happened.
“Given the fact that the case was publicized by Geagea and is revolving around him, that makes our concerns bigger, because he was the one who announced” he was the target of an assassination attempt, Bassil told al-Akhbar.
“The biggest concern is that these remarks might be aimed at justifying assassination operations similar to those that happened after the year 2005,” Bassil said, noting that “every time they want to cover up for something, an assassination happens.”
Bassil stressed that he had the right to raise questions until security agencies announce the results of their probe.
“Hizbullah and the Aounist leadership are practicing direct psychological and political terrorism against the Internal Security Forces, the army and its officers and all the people,” Geagea charged.
“I don't know anything about the progress of the probe into the attempt on my life and I thank the justice minister who telephoned me immediately and quickly launched investigations,” the LF leader said.
Geagea accused the rival camp of casting doubt on “every assassination crime against figures belonging to the Cedar Revolution.”
He charged that the political system in Lebanon has turned into a “veiled dictatorship.”
“All things are being influenced by the oppression machine. Does anyone doubt that had it not been for this machine, (President Michel) Suleiman, (Prime Minister Najib) Miqati and (Speaker Nabih) Berri would have different stances?” Geagea added.
Asked whether the LF had any links to the arms depot recently discovered in Ashrafiyeh, Geagea said: “I don't know how it was discovered and I don't know the identity of its owner. Investigations are still ongoing and the other camp is full of liars.”
Slamming the other camp’s stances on the Syrian crisis, Geagea said: “Their negative, malicious theories are aimed at keeping the current regime in Syria.”
“The replacement of the current regime would be a pluralistic, democratic regime and Christians would not benefit from the survival of this Syrian regime,” he noted.
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