Wissam Al-Hassan Assassinated

Local Editor

Lebanese Internal Security Forces Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan was killed in a massive blast Friday.
Al-Hassan is the head of the Internal Security Forces information branch, and had arrived in Beirut from outside Lebanon Thursday night.
He is considered to be a divisive figure in the Lebanese political arena.
This the first time a Lebanese political figure has been assassinated since a string of bombings between 2004 and 2008 had killed a number of high-profile military and political figures in Lebanon.
In details, a car bombing rocked a neighborhood near Beirut's Sassine Square Friday afternoon, killing 5 people and injuring 78.
Damage was extensive, almost completely destroying the front of two buildings and setting several cars alight.
The doors and windows were blown off by the explosion and some furniture caught fire.

In parallel, State Prosecutor Hatem Madi said the car "was blown off dozens of meters (yards)" from where it was parked on a street off Sassine Square.
Bomb experts told Agence France Presse the car was packed with 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of explosives.

Mangled remains of the car sat atop another vehicle amid a sea of devastation, broken glass and rubble.


Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org