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Military Tribunal Charges Asir's Bodyguard over Abra Clashes

Charges were pressed against the bodyguard of salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir over his links to the clashes that took place in Abra in the southern city of Sidon in June, reported LBCI television on Wednesday.

It said that State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged Ali Abdul Wahad and referred him to First Military Investigation Judge Riyad Abu Ghida.

Abdul Wahad, a 30-year-old Palestinian, was arrested at Rafik Hariri International Airport on July 25 as he was attempting to flee Beirut to Nigeria.

In initial investigations with him, he revealed information on several people wanted by the army, including Asir and singer turned Salafist Fadel Shaker.

Asir's supporters opened fire on an army checkpoint, last month, leaving around 18 soldiers and more than 20 gunmen dead.

The gunbattles concentrated in the area of Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque and nearby buildings in Abra.

Asir, a 45-year-old cleric who supports the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad, is no where to be found along with Shaker.

Asir teamed up with Shaker, a onetime prominent singer, when around two years ago he began agitating for Hizbullah to disarm.


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