Lebanese Army Averts Mass Holiday Attack

Local Editor

The Lebanese Army arrested members of a sleeper-cell in North Lebanon that had been planning a shootout and a suicide attack during the holiday season with.

As-Safir newspaper reported in its final issue Saturday that the army had obtained information on a militant cell operating in the northern city of Tripoli at the behest of fugitive extremist suspect Shadi Mawlawi.

The cell's plan was to target a gathering, with rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades followed by heavy gunfire. A suicide bomber had planned to then detonate himself when bystanders and medics gathered around to aid the wounded.

A security source quoted by the newspaper refused to specify which venue was going to be targeted by the cell.

The report came a day after state media said that the army busted a three-member terror cell in Tripoli.

The suspects were arrested in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood.

The National News Agency [NNA] said that the military confiscated an explosive belt, a gun with a silencer and an undisclosed number of other arms and ammunition from the scene.

A source told as-Safir that two other suspects had been arrested earlier.

The five suspects, including four Lebanese and a Palestinian, admitted to having links with Mawlawi, who provides them with instructions.

Mawlawi is believed to have been hiding in Ain al-Hilweh since he fled the northern city of Tripoli when the army launched a security crackdown on Takfiri militants in 2014.

Lebanon's judiciary had charged him with operating a terrorist group with his partner-in-crime Osama Mansour, who was killed in 2015.

He is wanted for his links to the perpetrators of a Jan. 10 double suicide bombing in the Jabal Mohsen district of Tripoli that killed at least nine people and wounded more than 30. He is also wanted over his connection to a series of suicide bombing plots last year that were foiled by the Army.

Lebanon's General Security Saturday also announced the arrest of another would-be suicide bomber.

A statement issued by the agency said that Syrian Kh.M. was detained on charges of belonging to an extremist group.

During questioning, he admitted to being affiliated with a militant group - whose name was not revealed - recruiting insurgents and coordinating their transfer to Syria to join the ranks of the group.

He also admitted to preparing for suicide attack at the behest of Lebanese extremists identified as Aa.H., known as Abu Basir, and Abu Hajar. He was referred to the judiciary.

Lebanese security forces had been cracking down on militants as part of pre-emptive operations against extremist sleeper-cells.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team