Local Editor

A terrorist suicide bomber blew himself up at a police checkpoint in eastern Lebanon Friday, martyring one policeman and injuring over 30 people.

The target of the attack may have been General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim who told media that the bomb was detonated several minutes after his vehicle convoy had passed.

The blast took place in the town of Dahr al-Baydar, about 35 kilometers east of Beirut, on a road that connects the Lebanese capital to Damascus.

Head of the Internal Security Forces [ISF] Ibrahim Basbous said the suicide bomber detonated his vehicle as policeman Mahmoud Jamal ad-Din was searching it, killing him instantly.

"The driver was travelling towards the direction of Beirut through the town of Sawfar. He was stopped at a police checkpoint, and detonated his vehicle while two members of the ISF were searching it," Basbous told reporters at the scene.

Basbous said six other ISF officers, two army soldiers and 23 civilians were injured in the attack. The health ministry put the casualty toll at one dead and 32 injured.

Military Judge Sakr Sakr told reporters at the site of the blast that a suicide bomber appeared to be behind the attack.

Sakr said it was too early to confirm whether or not Abbas Ibrahim was the target of the blast. He added that the bomb weighed approximately 25-30 kilograms.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam reportedly said he was happy with how security forces responded to the attack, lauding them for preventing the suicide bomber from escaping the checkpoint.

His remarks were made during a security meeting at his downtown Beirut headquarters, according to Major General Mohammed Kheir who gave a press conference after the meeting.

The attack took place as security forces on Friday arrested more than a dozen terror suspects in a Beirut hotel raid.

"Security forces arrested 102 people during the raids that were carried out today in the Hamra area and its surroundings, after obtaining information about the presence of terrorist groups plotting to stage security acts in Beirut," state-run National News Agency reported.

"Following interrogation, 85 people were released while 17 were kept in custody," NNA said in the afternoon.

Earlier, the agency said raids were ongoing in Hamra and nearby areas, adding that "around 30 detained suspects had entered Lebanon using passports issued by Arab countries."

"These terrorist groups were plotting to carry out a major terrorist act against a ceremony that was scheduled to be held before noon at the UNESCO Palace" in Beirut, NNA said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team