Lebanese authorities arrested seven Syrian nationals allegedly involved in the assassination of an official of the Christian Lebanese Forces (FL) party. The body of the unfortunate man was found in Syria.
Three suspects in the assassination of Pascal Sleiman, who was kidnapped on Sunday north of Beirut, have been handed over by the Syrian authorities to the Lebanese security services, the military source said.
The case caused intense reactions in Lebanonwith the Christian party speaking of “political assassination until proven otherwise”.
Samir Geagea’s FL party is a sworn enemy of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah denied any involvement in the case in a speech last night, Monday.
According to a judicial source, “the confessions of the seven Syrians arrested converged on the fact that the only motive for the crime was the theft” of the victim’s car.
The Lebanese army said in a statement issued last night that “he was killed by members of a gang who were trying to steal his car”, according to the first results of the investigation.
According to the judicial source, the suspects “confessed to hitting the victim in the face and head with the handle of their revolvers to stop him from resisting, then put him in the trunk of the car” and took him to Syria where they discovered he had died.
A military source said the body was found in Syria and that the perpetrators were members of a car theft gang in Lebanon.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in Britain but has an extensive network of sources in Syria, said a body matching the victim’s description had been found in the Syrian province of Homs.
This zone, which is close to the border with Lebanon, is under the control of the Damascus regime and its ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah, has a strong presence there.
The military source said Lebanese authorities are expected to recover the body today.
According to protothema, the announcement of the kidnapping and subsequent death of Pascal Sleiman caused outrage in the northern Lebanese city of Byblos, where he was the local FL official.
Hundreds of supporters of the Christian party blocked the streets last night and some attacked Syrian passers-by, according to videos released online.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the killing and in a statement called on the Lebanese to “exercise prudence and not be swayed by rumors and emotional charge”.
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