 Police have killed Fatah al-Islam's No. 2 man, the deputy commander of the al-Qaida inspired militants entrenched in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, the government said Monday. Abu Hureira was killed a few days ago by police in the northern port city of Tripoli, near the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp where Fatah al-Islam militants have been fighting Lebanese soldiers for more than two months, said Information Minister Ghazi Aridi.
| Being in Tripoli isn't the same thing as being surrounded in Nahr al-Bared... |
"Cabinet was informed by Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa that Lebanese security forces have killed the Fatah al-Islam's No. 2 in the Abu Samra neighborhood" in Tripoli, Aridi told reporters following a Cabinet meeting. A senior police official said Abu Hureira was one of two men on a motorcycle who opened fire on a police checkpoint in Abu Samra. Police fired back, killing one and wounding the other.
| The old Cycle of Violence™ trick, eh? That worked well. |
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements, said the wounded man disclosed during interrogation that his companion was Abu Hureira. He said DNA tests also indicated that Abu Hureira, and his parents provided a positive identification.
| "Yep. That's Sonny. I'd recognize that turban anywhere!" |
Police had been waiting for results of the genetic tests to announce the death. The whereabouts of Abu Hureira, a Lebanese whose real name is Shehab al-Qaddour, had been unknown since fighting at the Nahr el-Bared camp erupted on May 20. Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker Youssef Absi's whereabouts are still unknown. The police official said it was not clear how or when Abu Hureira had fled Nahr el-Bared or how long he had been in Tripoli. |