Fugitive Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir arrested at Beirut airport
Bookmark thisBEIRUT: Lebanese authorities detained fugitive Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport after more than two years on the run, security sources told The Daily Star Saturday.
One source said that Assir had "changed his look" and was trying to flee Cairo.
Assir is a radical anti-Hezbollah preacher who led clashes against the Lebanese Army in June 2013 from the Bilal al-Rabbah mosque in the neighborhood of Abra in the southern city of Sidon.
The clashes resulted in the deaths of 18 Army soldiers and at least 40 of combatants fighting for Assir.
Supporters of Assir have gone into hiding in the aftermath of the 2013 battles. Assir had been at large since the battle.
More to follow...
أحمد الأسير في قبضة الأمن اللبناني
وذكرت الوكالة الوطنية للإعلام أن المديرية العامة لقوى الأمن الداخلي أوقفت الأسير في مطار رفيق الحريري الدولي أثناء محاولته الفرار الى الخارج |