Syrian official probed by Hariri U.N. team
Investigators suspect former intelligence aide was sent to France to mislead U.N. investigation team probing assassination of Lebanese premier Hariri
Mohammad Zuheir al-Saddiq, a Syrian soldier married to a Lebanese national, was questioned by Detlev Mehlis, the German prosecutor leading a U.N. team that's probing the slaying of Hariri in a massive blast in February, a senior French official told al-Hayat.
Although al-Saddiq is a main suspect, the U.N. investigative team remains suspicious about the credibility of his testimony which has been inconsistent and faulty.
"It will all show in court," he told Voice of Lebanon radio, after being asked about the arrest.
French officials told al-Hayat that al-Saddiq has been under surveillance since his arrival in France, due to suspicions that he was sent by the Syrian secret services, the Mukhabarat.
Fearing for his life, Hariri’s son Saad, who led an anti-Syrian coalition to parliamentary victory in Lebanon’s first general elections after Syria’s April withdrawal, now lives in the French capital.
On a September visit to Paris, Major-General Assef Shawkat, brother-in-law to Syrian President Bashar Assad and deputy-head of Syria’s military intelligence, labelled al-Saddiq a “clown” and refuted claims that he belonged to any of Syria’s intelligence apparatuses.
Mehlis, who is expected to submit his findings into the killing of Hariri on Friday, has so far interrogated a series of top Syrian officials including Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, as he was said to be the last Syrian official to see Hariri before the assassination.
Ghazi Kenaan, the former Interior Minister who controlled Lebanon as Syria's security chief there for over two decades, committed suicide last week amid rumors that he received bribes from Hariri.
Few believe a man of his caliber would actually put an end to his own life, raising suspicions that Assad 'did away with him' to stave off growing suspicions that he personally instigated Hariri’s assassination.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
