Ten Palestinian members of an Islamist network have been placed under investigation for plotting an attack on United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon, a military judge said on Tuesday. Judge Jean Fahd said the suspects, six of whom are in custody, are being investigated for allegedly "attempting to murder members of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon by placing explosives that failed to detonate."
"The 10 Palestinians are suspected of having formed an armed group to carry out terrorist operations and of possessing weapons and explosives," the judge added, without specifying which radical network they belonged to. No formal charges have yet been laid against the suspects. Fahd said that if found guilty later, they could be sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Tuesday it was boosting security after learning of the failed attack on its peacekeepers patrolling southern Lebanese border areas. The Lebanese army had announced on Monday the arrest of a "network of non-Lebanese terrorists" plotting attacks against UNIFIL troops. It said the gang had planted an explosive device on a road near the southern port city of Tyre targeting a UN patrol, but that the device failed to explode.
"In light of recent terrorist attacks against UNIFIL, threats received from militant groups and these recent arrests, UNIFIL remains vigilant and is undertaking a number of measures to mitigate risks and improve the safety and security of its staff," UNIFIL said in a statement.
In June, six peacekeepers in the UN's Spanish contingent, including three Colombians, were killed when a car bomb blasted their armoured personnel carrier on a road near the border with Israel. The attack was the first deadly strike against UN peacekeepers since the force was expanded following last year's war between Israel and guerrillas from the Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah. In July, a vehicle belonging to the Tanzanian contingent was damaged by a bomb but there were no casualties.
Security was also boosted during a deadly 15-week battle in northern Lebanon from May to September between the army and an Al-Qaeda-inspired Islamist militia headed by a Palestinian militant. |