Daily Star - Twelve arrested over involvement in Tripoli clashes - December 07,2009

BEIRUT: Twelve suspects were arrested on Sunday for involvement in the Tripoli clashes that occurred Thursday between members of the Hassoun family and the Islamic Tawhid Movement. The Lebanese armed Forces (LAF) arrested the suspects in the area of Abu Samra in Tripoli then referred them to the Internal Security Forces (ISF) for investigation. The ISF however, released six of the suspects who did not possess any weapons after a court decision.The arrested were believed to be involved in violent clashes that resulted in the injury of two men. According to the state-run National News Agency, a group of people had opened fire Wednesday night on a car transporting members of the Hassoun family using machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The LAF deployed intensive patrols in the region on Thursday to contain the clashes and restore calm.In recent years Tripoli has been the scene of sectarian clashes between the Sunni and Alawite communities. The violence was mainly centered in the northern city’s neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh. – The Daily Star