BEIRUT: Gary Platt, a cellular network investigator, gave further testimony Wednesday at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Following on from his appearance Tuesday, Platt focused on mapping out and documenting the activities of various cellphone networks. These cell records – categorized by color – have been integral to the prosecution’s case against the defendants accused of assassinating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
Though the call records Platt highlighted Wednesday were documented prior to the indictment period for the five defendants, he explained that they were useful in understanding the beginning of the conspiracy itself.
Platt discussed the cell records that allegedly show the movement of defendant Salim Ayyash between the area around the east Lebanon town of Anjar and southern Beirut, which occurred at the end of September of 2004. Anjar is notable for its connection to Syrian intelligence during the period in which Lebanon was occupied by Syria. Rustom Ghazaleh and other intelligence chiefs used the town as their headquarters.
Though neither Platt nor Prosecutor Nigel Povoas drew an explicit connection between the Syrian presence in the area and Ayyash’s connection to the assassination, the nexus was heavily implied. What Ayyash may have been doing there was not addressed.
Platt also discussed a period of time between the end of September and middle of October that he called a “significant phase,” in the leadup to the assassination. This included the formation of several of the cellphone covert networks, as well as escalating political tensions.
“The networks were just forming at this time,” Platt said. Nevertheless, he shied away from asserting that the different groups had actively begun preparing for the attack. “This is a period of interconnectivity between different networks,” he said, meaning that different cell groups were just beginning to contact each other.
Platt also noted that data from this period began to resemble a coordinated tailing operation targeting Hariri. “Surveillance at this level requires discipline among a team, designated roles and places, as well as a command and control network,” he said, giving examples to demonstrate why he believes this was the structure of the networks identified by investigators. “For instance, there is a coordinated group of calls that make it clear [when] the surveillance has ended. [The records show] somebody outside of the area has contacted the others.”
Though the call records Platt highlighted Wednesday were documented prior to the indictment period for the five defendants, he explained that they were useful in understanding the beginning of the conspiracy itself.
Platt discussed the cell records that allegedly show the movement of defendant Salim Ayyash between the area around the east Lebanon town of Anjar and southern Beirut, which occurred at the end of September of 2004. Anjar is notable for its connection to Syrian intelligence during the period in which Lebanon was occupied by Syria. Rustom Ghazaleh and other intelligence chiefs used the town as their headquarters.
Though neither Platt nor Prosecutor Nigel Povoas drew an explicit connection between the Syrian presence in the area and Ayyash’s connection to the assassination, the nexus was heavily implied. What Ayyash may have been doing there was not addressed.
Platt also discussed a period of time between the end of September and middle of October that he called a “significant phase,” in the leadup to the assassination. This included the formation of several of the cellphone covert networks, as well as escalating political tensions.
“The networks were just forming at this time,” Platt said. Nevertheless, he shied away from asserting that the different groups had actively begun preparing for the attack. “This is a period of interconnectivity between different networks,” he said, meaning that different cell groups were just beginning to contact each other.
Platt also noted that data from this period began to resemble a coordinated tailing operation targeting Hariri. “Surveillance at this level requires discipline among a team, designated roles and places, as well as a command and control network,” he said, giving examples to demonstrate why he believes this was the structure of the networks identified by investigators. “For instance, there is a coordinated group of calls that make it clear [when] the surveillance has ended. [The records show] somebody outside of the area has contacted the others.”
Source & Link : The Daily Star
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