Booby-Trapped Vehicles, Suicide Bombers Raise Security Measures in Beirut
Political figures were informed that several explosive-rigged vehicles and suicide bombers arrived in Beirut to carry out terrorist acts and spread chaos in the capital.
According to An Nahar newspaper published on Saturday, Speaker Nabih Berri and several other politicians obtained the information from security agencies.
The information prompted security forces to raid two hotels in Beirut's neighborhood of Hamra in search for wanted suspects and to deploy at all the entrances to Beirut, preventing trucks from entering the capital for fear of more bombings.
The daily said that two booby trapped cars and three other cars, in addition to a group of suicide bombers are set to carry out a large-scale terrorist operation.
On Friday, a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle near a police checkpoint in the eastern town of Dahr al-Baydar, while troops raided two hotels in Hamra, arresting suspected members of an al-Qaida breakaway group allegedly plotting terrorist attacks in the country.
It was not clear if the two incidents were related. But the bombing — the first since March — along with the security dragnet in and around Beirut sparked fears of renewed violence in a country which has been buffeted by the conflict in neighboring Syria.
Security forces also deployed at all the entrances to Beirut, preventing trucks from entering the Lebanese capital for fear of more bombings.
Meanwhile, a meeting organized by AMAL Movement scheduled to take place at the UNESCO Palace was postponed. Berri was expected to attend the gathering.
The event was scrapped based on a report of a planned terrorist attack received by the Interior Ministry.
Security forces began recently enforcing strict measures at all entrances to Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hizbullah stronghold, setting up checkpoints and searching cars, after obtaining information on a plot to target hospitals in the area.
Syria's civil war has spilled over into neighboring Lebanon on multiple occasions and inflamed sectarian tensions. A series of car bombs have struck Shiite areas across Lebanon, killing dozens of people.
Hard-line Sunni groups have claimed responsibility for the attacks against Shiites, saying they are meant to punish Hizbullah for fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops.
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