Geagea: I Was Not Hasty in Making Political Accusations on my Assassination Attempt
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea revealed on Thursday that investigations into his assassination attempt have uncovered the location from which the snipers fired their shots, announced the LF in a statement.
He said: “I was not hasty in making political accusations in the matter.”
The security forces continued on searching the nearby area from his Maarab residence where the attack took place, he added.
They concluded that the assailants came from the west, not the south or north, he explained.
Geagea said that the attackers had placed surveillance equipment some three or four kilometers from Maarab, repeating that the grounds of his residence where not breached.
The operation, which could have taken four to six months of preparations, was conducted a by a surveillance team and another of gunmen who were moving on the ground, he said.
Geagea later stated before a delegation of Lebanese Forces students: “The assassination was not simply targeted against the LF, but the Cedar Revolution and March 14 forces.”
“The attack was an assault against the liberty of every free citizen,” he stressed.
“Today they targeted the LF and tomorrow they may attack any citizen that does not share the same views as they do,” he continued.
The LF chief received more telephone calls to inquire about his well-being following the attack.
The callers included Speaker Nabih Berri, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rasheed Qabbani, and the ambassadors of Egypt, the UK, and Turkey.
On Wednesday, Geagea was the victim of an assassination attempt by snipers as he was taking a walk on the grounds of his Maarab residence.
He said after the attack: “Today’s incident is a continuation of the series of assassinations and assassination attempts that we thought had stopped after the 2008 Doha agreement.”
“I am not accusing anyone of being behind my attempted assassination even though I have my own thoughts on the matter,” he stated.
“I believe that the wave of political assassinations in Lebanon has returned and I urge political leaders, who I won’t name, to take precautions,” he added.
“I won’t name potential targets, but I will say that there is one camp in Lebanon has not been and will not be attacked,” Geagea noted.
“They are seeking to eliminate national figures in Lebanon. What have we exercised in the past seven years besides politics?” he asked.
“I am certain that a team on the internal scene is involved in my assassination attempt and I will leave it up to the investigations to uncover the truth,” he said.
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