Lebanon: Security forces thwart plans for three suicide attacks

Lebanese security forces have foiled plans by Islamic State-linked militants to carry out three suicide bombings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the interior minister said today.

Plans for the attacks included anti-tank rocket launchers and firearms, as well as belts of explosives that could kill many people, said Minister Bassam Maulawi.

The network of fighters involved was linked to Islamic State, he said.

The group, which had taken control of large parts of Iraq and Syria and a mountainous area in northeastern Lebanon from 2014 to 2017, claimed responsibility for a double suicide attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut in 2015 that killed at least 40 people.

The area is a base of support for the Iranian-backed Shiite group Hezbollah, which has fought mainly Sunni fighters, including those of the Islamic State, during Syria’s civil war.

The network in Lebanon, which had contacts with Islamic State fighters in Syria, was informed on February 17 that the operation would take place in a few days, the Internal Security Forces (ISF) said in a presentation.

The suspects were arrested the same day and have been remanded in custody, Mawlawi said. Explosives, weapons and ammunition have also been seized.

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ

Source: Capital

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