Lebanese Army Arrests Azzam Brigades Leader

Local Editor

The Lebanese Army arrested early on Wednesday Jamal Daftardar, a senior official in the al-Qaeda-linked group, Abdullah Azzam Brigades.

The army said in a statement that the wanted fugitive was apprehended during a raid carried out in West Bekaa, noting that Daftardar was involved in the terrorist act which had targeted an army checkpoint in Sidon on December 15, 2013.

Daftardar, who also goes by the name Mohammad Ahmad al-Masri, was considered the main candidate to take over the leadership of the brigades following Majid's death.


He had a Syrian identification card at the time of his arrest, entered Lebanon six months ago after being severely injured in the leg and back.
The army said another gunman, who threatened the force with a grenade, was killed in the raid.

The raid came weeks after the military apprehended the group's Saudi leader, Majid al-Majid, who died on Jan. 4 from complications arising from multiple illnesses at a military hospital in Beirut, days after his arrest.
The al-Qaeda offshoot claimed responsibility for the Nov. 19 suicide attacks near the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, which killed 30 people including an Iranian diplomat.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team