Lebanon said on Monday it had arrested five people allegedly plotting to carry out attacks on Western targets in the country, the latest in a series of blows it says it has dealt to "terrorist" groups.
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In a statement, the Interior Ministry said it had arrested a group of five people who had been trained in a Palestinian refugee camp that is home to a range of militant Islamist groups. The five were planning attacks on targets including a Western fast food restaurant in Beirut, it said. "As the members of this group moved to the phase of preparation to carry out their criminal act, a unit ... conducted a raid on the places where the members of the group were, and arrested them," the statement said. "During interrogation, they confessed they had received training and plotted to carry out terrorist acts," it said, adding the detainees had been referred to Lebanon's public prosecutor to face unspecified charges. Lebanon, and Syria — which has ultimate authority in its smaller neighbour — face intense US pressure to root out Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas and militant Palestinian groups. Lebanon earlier this month charged dozens of people in connection with alleged plots to kidnap the US ambassador and attack the embassy, as well as targets including Western fast food restaurant that have been hit by a string of bombings. |