A former Shi'ite Muslim Amal official who was dismissed in 1986 for attempting to overthrow its leadership emerged Friday as a key figure in a recently uncovered pro-Israeli spy ring.
A statement from the office of the chief military prosecutor quoted by the Lebanese Daily Star said Hassan Hashem would face the same charges as three other alleged members of the network, namely Imad Hussein Ruz, 43, Mohammed Abdel-Aziz Abi Melhem, 45, and Radwan Khalil Hajj, 38, who were detained last month.
All four face charges that include providing Israel with information on resistance groups.
Military Investigating Magistrate Riad Tleh questioned the men Friday, and the accused were issued formal arrest warrants after the first three admitted to forming a spy ring devoted to pro-Israeli espionage.
According to the statement, the group relayed to Israeli officers information on Lebanese and Syrian military positions, as well as on the activities of Hizbullah and some Lebanese political figures. Additionally, the men said they passed on information related to the country’s economic and financial institutions.
The statement said the men admitted to contacting Israeli intelligence bodies and meeting with them at Israeli embassies in Europe to supply “sensitive” information.
An unidentified Lebanese security official said the group focused its intelligence gathering on the movement of Hizbullah figures, including the group’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. It also collected information on Hizbullah’s social work and charities. Israel assassinated former Hizbullah leader Sheikh Abbas al-Musawi in an air raid attack on his convoy in 1992.
The fourth suspect, Hashem, was not reported to have confessed. Hashem, or Abu Hashem as he was known during the civil war, had a high profile in Amal in the years 1979-81, but was not associated with any of the movement’s achievements after the Israeli invasion.
In 1986, he was kicked out of the Amal movement for attempting to overthrow its leader Nabih Berri, now the speaker of Lebanon’s Parliament.
Last year, the Lebanese army detained 12 people for spying for Israel also accusing them of gathering information on Hizbullah. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
