Naharnet - Nahhas Says Alfa Technician Arrested Not Head of Transmission and Broadcast Dept - June 28,2010

Nahhas Says Alfa 'Technician' Arrested, Not Head of Transmission and Broadcast Dept.
Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas denied that the army intelligence had arrested a key employee at the mobile telephone network operator Alfa on charges of spying for Israel, as had been reported in Lebanese media on Sunday.
"Last Thursday, a technician who works for the Alfa company was arrested by the security services," the minister told Agence France Presse on Sunday.
"An investigation has been opened into possible collaboration (between the person) and Israel," Nahhas said.
The military intelligence directorate of the Lebanese Army has arrested the head of the transmission and broadcast department of Alfa -- one of the two operating GSM networks in Lebanon – on charges of providing Israel with sensitive information that can harm Lebanon's national security, Ad-Diyar newspaper reported Sunday.
Lebanon has arrested more than 70 people since launching a major crackdown in April 2009 against suspected Israeli spy networks, including security force members with equipment for monitoring communications.
Israel has not commented on the arrests.
Lebanon and Israel remain technically in a state of war, and convicted spies face life in prison with hard labor or the death penalty if found guilty of contributing to Lebanese loss of life.(Naharnet-AFP)