This is an update on last week's Ya Libnan report on the arrest by the Lebanese security agents of the Al-Qaida terrorist mastermind at a Beirut hotel . The arrest was called 'a major catch '. According to LBC TV, Lebanon's "major catch" has revealed that he is the coordinating officer between the Syrian intelligence and Fatah al-Islam terrorists. His name has finally been disclosed as Ahmad Merhi.Security sources said Ahmad Merhi confessed to smuggling fighters into Lebanon from Syria via illegal crossing points in the Bekaa and North Lebanon. Sources said that Lebanon security found him at a hotel suite in Beirut's district of Ashrafiyeh last week The "very dangerous terrorist," according to the source, had crossed into Lebanon "illegally" overland from neighboring Syria to follow up with Fatah al-Islam terrorists, who are besieged in the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.
The suspect who pretended to be a national of an oil-rich Arab country, used forged Lebanese identity cards, one of which identified him as Hagop, an Armenian name. "He also had 12 forged travel documents, including British, Arab and Latin American passports," added the source who asked not to be identified.
He said Fatah al-Islam terrorists arrested in north Lebanon "told investigators of the suspect's moves and revealed important information which led to his arrest." He disclosed that within the framework of the crackdown of Fatah al-Islam terrorists police officers had "confiscated at several hideouts six scanning machines used to forge passports, identity cards and other documents."
"Such forgeries are almost perfect and the fake documents, especially passports, can be discovered only by the respective nations' authorities. So these terrorists do not use them in the nations of issue," he explained.
Upon raiding the suspect's hotel suite, police officers confiscated "maps, pictures and a list of selected targets for terrorist attacks in Lebanon," the source said He said anti-terrorism police officers also confiscated "a large number of compact discs and a personal computer providing a wealth of information on terrorists' activities in Lebanon and the region."
The source explained that al-Qaida is "no more a solid-structure network. Many of its ranking members have joined several intelligence agencies and are used to infiltrate, control and direct local Qaida-inspired fanatics to carry out attacks that serve the interests of these intelligence agencies." Fatah al-Islam, the source added, "is one of such local groups. Its members are inspired by al-Qaida ideology, but its attacks are directed by Syrian intelligence officers."
The Lebanese courts have already charged 35 Fatah al Islam detainees with terrorism, a charge subject to death penalty Police have arrested at least 90 people on charges of affiliation with Fatah al-Islam and were under interrogation. The source said some of them have provided "priceless information related to terrorist activity."
In a related development, the source said police also arrested "two Syrian nationals" that had with them "dozens of photographs of Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aziz Khoja."
"They had pictures of him at his apartment's balcony, at the entrance to the building and in so many other locations. It appears they were monitoring his moves in preparation for an attack on him," the source added without further elaboration.
Security has been beefed up at major Lebanese cities and towns following outbreak of the clashes with Fatah al-Islam militants in the northern town of Tripoli 20 days ago and the spate of bombings that followed. The group, headed by Palestinian-Jordanian Shaker Absi, has vowed to attack a variety of targets throughout Lebanon if the army maintained the siege of its militants at Nahr al-Bared camp.