Army Arrests 7 Suspects over Tripoli Attacks, Illegal Activities

The Lebanese army said on Monday that it has arrested several people, including foreigners, on suspicion of involvement in attacks and “security activities” in the northern city of Tripoli.

Five suspects were arrested for tossing hand grenades at restaurants and for threatening citizens, the military command said in a communqiue.

The army also apprehended a Sudanese and a Tunisian for residing illegally in the country, They are “suspected of involvement in activities that threaten security,” it said.

The seven men are being questioned under the supervision of the judiciary, the communique added.

The state-run National News Agency said an unknown assailant tossed a percussion grenade near cafes in al-Qobbeh area at noon Monday.

Security forces opened an investigation into the attack, it said.

Several hand grenade attacks rattled Tripoli last week. One of them involved an assault on a cafe, which left four people injured.

The city has been witnessing relative calm since security forces and the army began implementing a plan in April to end deadly gunbattles between rival neighborhoods.

Clashes between Bab al-Tabbaneh, whose residents are Sunnis, and mainly Alawite Jabal Mohsen have left scores of people dead and injured.

The fighting was a direct spillover of the civil war in Syria where Sunni rebels are fighting Alawite President Bashar Assad's troops.

G.K.

M.T.