Islamic National Gathering Urges Freeing Sabbagh, Warns of Bid to Undermine Security Plan

Tripoli's Islamic National Gathering on Monday warned of an attempt to undermine the security plan in the northern city, urging the immediate release of the detainee Hussam al-Sabbagh and “all those wrongfully accused of terrorism.”

“The conferees discussed the meager gestures of the government regarding the so-called rectification of the security plan, which means it has acknowledged that certain practices in Tripoli must be addressed,” MP Mohammed Kabbara announced after a meeting for the Gathering.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam had on Sunday announced that he will not accept any “imbalance” in implementing the security plan in all regions, as he noted that “any misconduct or mistakes ... can be addressed calmly and rationally.”

But the conferees called on Salam to “quickly correct the violations through deeds, not words.”

Sabbagh, an influential Bab al-Tabbaneh Salafist militant, was arrested overnight Saturday at an army checkpoint in Tripoli. Sabbagh holds Lebanese and Australian citizenships and is reportedly wanted by authorities in both countries for belonging to al-Qaida, most notably the Fatah al-Islam group.

“Hussam al-Sabbagh did not go into hiding (as the security plan got underway in April) and he was practicing his influence over residents to prevent them from clashing with the army," Kabbara noted, saying "the conferees wondered why he was arrested in the wake of ex-PM (Saad) Hariri's initiative and about the reason behind this rejected gambling with the city's stability on the eve of Eid al-Fitr."

"The arrest was suspicious and it must be reversed and Hussam al-Sabbagh must be released immediately," the conferees urged.

They warned that there is "accumulating anger due to the fact that fugitives belonging to the 'party of arms' (Hizbullah) and (Syrian President Bashar) Assad's intelligence agencies have not been arrested despite their involvement in terrorist operations, which means that the arrests are only targeting the Sunnis who defended Tripoli's residents" during clashes with the pro-Assad Jabal Mohsen district.

“The conferees discussed recent remarks about the intent to address the 'security tragedy' of the General Security's so-called 'subjugation lists', under which Sunni youths are being arrested. Despite optimism, the conferees stressed the need to release everyone,” Kabbara added.

He lamented that “the state is not performing its duties against the attacks of the party of arms (Hizbullah) and Assad in the North and the Bekaa.”

“There is a clear attempt to undermine the security plan in Tripoli,” he warned.

Y.R.