Lebanese security source says "terrorists" caught on time

Jul 22, 2009, 13:18 GMT

Beirut- A ten-member terrorist network recently arrested by the Lebanese army was caught at the 'right time', a Lebanese security source said Wednesday.

The network had been planning attacks on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army, he said. They 'were caught while preparing the final stages of their attacks.'

The source, who requested anonymity, added: 'So far, the investigation has shown that they are loyal to Sunni fundamentalist groups linked with al-Qaeda.'

According to a source at the Justice ministry, Judge Saqr Saqr charged network members, including a Fatah al-Islam leader Abdel Ghani Jawhar, with observing military forces and UNIFIL troops in order to plan attacks against them.

Fatah al-Islam is a Sunni fundamentalist group with links to al Qaeda. The group led a three-month battle against the Lebanese army in 2007 in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al Bared.

In September 2007 the army killed most of the group's members, but its leader Shaker al Abssi and few others managed to escape.

'The leader of the arrested network, who was caught with several forged passports, is a Syrian national,' the source said.

Other members of the network had Saudi, Kuwaiti, Syrian, Yemeni and Palestinian nationalities, and one had a Greek passport.

The army had already announced Tuesday it arrested an extremist network planning to carry out attacks against UN troops and smuggle wanted terrorists out of the southern Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh.

According to the source, some members of the network were working for private companies that hang billboards at roadsides.

'Hanging billboards enables the network members to monitor certain streets without anyone noticing,' the source said.