The Daily Star - STL releases suspects’ identities - July 30, 2011

By Patrick Galey

The Daily Star

7/29/2011

BEIRUT: The U.N.-backed court probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri Friday named the four men accused of the crime. All four are Hezbollah members.The Special Tribunal for Lebanon named Salim Ayyash, Mustapha Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra, as the sole suspects in the 2005 Beirut car bombing, which killed the five-time prime minister and 22 others on Feb. 14, 2005. “The Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen ordered the lifting of confidentiality on the full names and aliases, biographical information, photographs and charges against the individuals named in the indictment,” a court statement said. “The prosecution alleges that the four individuals named in the indictment were involved in the Feb. 14, 2005 attack that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and others.” Fransen accepted Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare’s first indictment last month, leading to the release of suspect names to authorities in Beirut on June 30. According to STL statute, the decision to publicly disclose the names of accused individuals is Fransen’s, although judicial sources informed The Daily Star of indictment contents within hours of its release. Ayyash is Hezbollah’s southern military commander, a veteran of the party’s 2006 war with Israel and considered by Hezbollah insiders as untouchable. Badreddine replaced the assassinated Imad Mughniyeh as the party’s military commander, and is similarly protected by Hezbollah’s security apparatus. Little is known about Oneissi or Sabra, although both are thought to be Hezbollah operatives. The court announced that the decision to make names public was taken in order to maximize the likelihood of their arrest. According to a cooperation agreement Lebanon signed with the U.N. in 2007, authorities in Beirut are obliged to make “sufficient efforts” in apprehending accused individuals. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, in the wake of indictment release, vowed that they would not be arrested by Lebanese security forces, “not even in 300 years.” An STL spokesperson said that the men named Friday were the only ones on Bellemare’s initial indictment. “According to the order, these are the only people named in the indictment,” the spokesperson told The Daily Star. “It is for the prosecutor to determine if and when to file another indictment.” Lebanon has until Aug. 11 to report to the court on progress made in arresting accused individuals. Although Lebanon is obliged under international law to assist the STL, Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government policy statement stopped short of committing to unconditional cooperation with the court. Fransen ruled that other elements of the indictment, which have already been passed onto international police agency Interpol would remain confidential for the time being. “The remaining text of the indictment and the individual redacted versions for each accused will remain confidential at this stage,” the statement said. “The pre-trial judge said in the order that disclosing the above information does not prejudice the rights of the accused, who are still presumed innocent.” A senior judicial source told The Daily Star that the STL’s release of the names and addresses of the four accused individuals did not represent any additional information, since this information was included in the indictment. Search efforts made by security apparatuses are being carried out based on addresses and descriptions of the accused stipulated in the indictment and which conformed to what was released by the STL Friday, the source said. He added that search will continue throughout the entire 30 working day period given to the Lebanese judiciary. Bellemare said the decision to make the names of the accused public was to facilitate their arrest. “This step has been taken to increase the likelihood of apprehending the accused in case any of them is seen by the public,” Bellemare said in a statement. He reiterated that the named individuals are innocent until the tribunal has reached a final verdict after the completion of the trial and any appeals. Indeed, the arrest of the four accused by the STL is only a first step in the process of uncovering the truth, according to a statement issued by the prosecutor’s office. While Lebanese authorities persist in their efforts to arrest the accused, the Office of the Prosecutor continues to investigate and prepare for trial, the statement said.