In the case of the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the International Tribunal announced the conviction of the accused Salim Ayyash of all charges in the Hariri assassination case, as he is the main accused.
Salim Ayyash, a military official in Hezbollah, stated in his arrest warrant that he is responsible for the cell that carried out the assassination, and that he personally participated in the execution.
While the court decided the acquittal of each of the three defendants: Hussein Oneissi, Asad Sabra and Hassan Habib Mari.
The International Tribunal – Chamber of First Instance also considered that it was not convinced that Badr al Din assumed the alleged role in the Hariri assassination.
The United Nations established the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, based on a request submitted by the Lebanese government, to try those accused in the Hariri convoy bombing and in the murders of other politicians in Lebanon, and the ruling to be issued today (August 18th) will be its first verdict since its establishment in 2007.
The Lebanese prime minister was assassinated on February 14, 2005, along with 21 people, when the equivalent of 1,000 kilograms of TNT exploded while his motorcade was passing near the St. George Hotel in Beirut.
While the court considered that “Hezbollah” and Syria may have motives for killing the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, but there is no direct evidence of their involvement.
The sentencing session was attended by Rafik Hariri’s son, former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and the family of the deputy and former Minister Basil Fuleihan, who spent time with Hariri.
