The Lebanese Army Command announced the arrest on Friday, May 19, in Deir Ammar (northern Lebanon), of “one of the most important leaders of al-Qaeda and one of the founders of its cells in Lebanon.”
In a statement issued on Saturday evening, the Army said that T.M., who was arrested after several years’ worth of security and intelligence efforts, “played a leading role in the creation of the terrorist organization Fateh al-Islam.”
According to the statement, the perpetrator was closely associated with the leaders of the organization. He went into hiding in 2007 after the battle of Nahr al-Bared, only to return and play an important role after the emergence of Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra. He is close to the terrorist groups that were active in North Lebanon and gave refuge to one of their most dangerous leaders after the battle of Tripoli in 2014, when these groups joined forces to fight the Lebanese Army in Tripoli and Bhanin.
The investigation is ongoing with the defendant, under the control of the relevant justice department.
