Middle East News
Lebanese army: Ten suspected terrorists arrested for plotting
Jul 21, 2009, 12:20 GMT
Beirut- The Lebanese army on Tuesday announced the arrest of 10 suspected members of a 'terrorist network' planning possible attacks on United Nations peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) and the army in southern Lebanon.
'Our investigation has shown that this network was planning to smuggle wanted terrorists out of Ain al-Hilweh camp, and smuggle Fatah al-Islam fighters into the camp, and create terrorist cells to monitor UNIFIL and the army activities in preparation for a terrorist attack against them,' the army said in a statement.
Ain al-Hilweh is one of several Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Fatah al-Islam is a militant Sunni fundamentalist group with links to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
The suspects hailed from various Arab states, including Lebanon, according to the statement. Some had been working for private companies as a cover for their mission, the army said.
Several members of extremist groups linked to al-Qaeda have been arrested in Lebanon this year.
Around 13,300 UN peacekeepers are stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which ended a 33- day war between Hezbollah and Israel in July 2006.
On June 24, 2007, six Spanish UN peacekeepers were killed in a car bomb blast in southern Lebanon. The attack was believed to have been carried out by Sunni fundamentalists linked to al-Qaeda.
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