DAILY SCOPE: Terrorist al-Assir Abducted, Confessed to Other Terrorists

Local Editor

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AL-AKHBAR:

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AL-BINAA:

General Security Achieves Accomplishment: al-Assir Abducted and Sidon Free

AL-LIWAA:

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THE DAILYSTAR:

Al-Assir Arrest Yields Trove of Security Secrets

Lebanese newspapers on Monday focused on the security event that was a surprise to all the Lebanese, as the Security Forces arrested the extremist terrorist Ahmad al-Assir as he was trying to escape outside the country with a fake ID. Papers also focused on the cabinet crisis and the waste management file, and shed light on Syria's Zabadani battles in terms of regional news.

Threads Revealed After al-Assir's Arrest --- AL-JOMHOURIA

Head of the Lebanese General Security Forces Major General Abbas Ibrahim told al-Jomhouria newspaper that "arresting the terrorist Ahmad al-Assir is in fact a pivotal step in the terrorism file, and it is a proof that justice eventually will prevail."

He noted that the investigations carried out since al-Assir was arrested revealed many threads and important information that will be made public some time later, assuring that "the Security forces will continue to combat terrorism and that arresting al-Assir is only the first step."

Ibrahim had pointed out that "this time, [the operation] was purely Lebanese and fully carried out by the General Security... from A to Z."

A staunch supporter of the "ISIL" terrorist group, al-Assir was on a wanted list since June 2013 after clashes between his Takfiri followers and the Lebanese army claimed the lives of 18 soldiers in the Lebanese southern city of Sidon. In 2014, a Lebanese military judge urged the country's prosecutors to hand down death penalty to 54 Takfiris, including al-Assir and notorious extremist singer Fadel Shaker.

Security Forces Monitored al-Assir for Six Months --- AS-SAFIR

As-Safir newspaper revealed that since six months, the security forces have received information that al-Assir intends to flee from Lebanon with fake ID papers, with Nigeria as his destiny since he was able to obtain a visa from the Nigerian embassy even without having to go there in person.

According to the paper, the security forces were working on many levels simultaneously, where some groups were monitoring his movement as well as any suspected connections or phone calls. Another group was following up on the case through communicating with contacts in Sidon and its outskirts. Also, another group was in charge of providing approximate pictures of what he might look like in case of plastic surgery or disguise through a developed Photoshop program.

Al-Assir fled justice in June 2013, after deadly clashes against the Lebanese army in Abra region in the southern city of Sidon. He was an extremist preacher used to take Abra mosque as umbrella for his terrorist actions. Lebanese forces still chase fugitive terrorist Fadel Shaker who was a key player in Abra clashes, and who boldly confessed of killing two army soldiers in a Youtube video.

Al-Assir Op. Result of Close Monitoring, No Foreign Intelligence Involved --- AL-BINAA

Al-Binaa newspaper for its part said that head of the General Security Forces Major General Abbas Ibrahim dismissed as "false" media reports that claimed Palestinian factions or foreign intelligence agencies helped Lebanese authorities identify fugitive Ahmad al-Assir, who was arrested at Beirut's airport Saturday morning. According to Ibrahim, the operation was the result of close monitoring of the fugitive by the General Security.

Ibrahim said that al-Assir has already revealed names of extremists involved in terrorist operations.

Sources told the Lebanese daily that a number of fugitives are hiding in the Palestinian camp of Ein al-Helwe under the protection of some political figures, anticipating that al-Assir's arrest will lead to the dismantling of numerous terrorist networks in Lebanon.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team