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Late Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri
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Report: 5 Lebanese spy suspects fled country

Senior Lebanese officer investigated over involvement in Alfa cellular company spy affair reportedly flees to Germany. According to Lebanese reports, four other suspects have already fled, one of them allegedly crossed into Israel

A senior reserves officer in the Lebanese army suspected of aiding Israel in the Alfa cellular company spy affair has fled to Frankfurt, Germany, Lebanese paper ad-Diyar reported on Thursday. According to the report, at least four of the company's technicians have also fled the country.

 

The paper reported that the investigation launched following the arrest of the two main suspects, Charbel Qazzi and Tareq Raba'a led to the home of officer Rasan al-Jad, who holds a rank parallel to brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces.

 

One of the officer's family members told the paper that security forces questioned residents of the village about him. Upon learning this, the officer quickly gathered his things, rushed to the Beirut airport, bought a plane ticket, and flew to Germany.

 

In the past month two Alfa employees convicted of gathering information for Israel were sentenced to death. Ali Mantash was convicted of providing Israel with information it used during the Second Lebanon War, and Hassan Ahmed al-Hussein was convicted of giving Israel the names, addresses and details of houses of Hezbollah officials in the southern Lebanese village of Qantara, and providing information about other targets.

 

A wide investigation by Lebanese authorities has led to the arrest of more than 50 people suspected of spying for Israel since April last year.

 

According to Thursday's report, al-Jad has extensive experience in the filed of engineering. Security elements in Lebanon said they suspect he was one of the main operatives in the secret cell within the cellular company.

 

The paper further reported that he was not the only suspect to flee Lebanon, and four of the company's technicians are believed to have taken off before him.

 

One of the four, the paper said, is a communications technician from the Harish family, who also left Beirut in a hurry and flew to London. His friend who drove him to the airport was arrested and taken in for questioning.

 

Last week an-Nahar reported that an Alfa employee suspected of involvement in the affair crossed the southern border into Israel.

 

Hezbollah says that Israel has used the information it collated via the spy network to sabotage the probe into the assassination of late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

 

A special UN investigations team appointed to investigate the killing has collected evidence pointing to the Shiite organization. Hezbollah claims the evidence collected from the cellular communications networks is fabricated.

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.22.10, 10:52
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