STL: Prosecution Has until Dec. 16 to Submit Report on Lebanon’s Efforts to Arrest Accused

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced through Twitter on Wednesday that the Prosecution has until December 16 to present a progress report on Lebanon’s efforts to arrest the four accused in being involved in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

It reiterated the Prosecution’s call on Lebanon, during the November 11 hearing, for it to “intensify efforts to arrest the accused.”

“It presented Lebanon with ten Requests for Assistance,” it revealed without giving further details.

For its part, “Lebanon has submitted 425 pages of material in Arabic and a large number of emails on a CD to the Prosecution,” said the STL.

“This is part of the Trial Chamber's deliberation on whether or not to begin in absentia proceedings,” it explained.

Four Hizbullah members, Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi, and Assad Sabra are wanted for the February 2005 suicide car bomb attack in Beirut that killed Hariri and 22 others, including the suicide bomber.

Ayyash has been named in the indictment as coordinator of the assassination team.

The court on August 17 unsealed the indictment against the four suspects and has said Lebanon must try harder to apprehend them.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said he doubted the four indictees will ever be found and has branded the tribunal a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy aimed at bringing down the party.