Lebanese army detains fundamentalist suspect in northern Lebanon

Jan 11, 2008, 14:56 GMT

Beirut - Lebanese troops on Friday detained a suspected militant and a member of an Islamist group called Fatah al-Islam which waged a 15-week a battle against the Lebanese army last year in northern Lebanon, a military official said.

Othman Turkmani, was detained in an army ambush on a street in the Bab el-Ramel neighbourhood of the northern city of Tripoli, the official said.

It was the third detention of Fatah al-Islam militants in northern Lebanon in two days.

On Thursday, two Fatah al-Islam members were seized in separate incidents, including high-ranking militant Nabil Rahim who, security sources said, is known to have links with the al-Qaeda terror network. Rahim's wife was also detained.

The arrests came few days after a recorded message by the fugitive group leader of the group, Shaker al-Abssi, was posted on an Islamist site close to al-Qaeda, during which he threatened renewed attacks against the Lebanese army.

Almost 400 people were killed, including some 222 militants and 168 troops, in the fighting between the army and Fatah al-Islam which ended after a final assault by the military on September 2.