France Accuses Saudi Arabia of Arming Extremists

WESTERN INTELLIGENCE: ABSSI UNDER ARREST IN SYRIA

The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar quoted a “very well informed source” as saying that western intelligence services, with ties with Damascus, confirmed that Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker Abssi is under arrest in Syria along with a number of his aids. Al-Akhbar said Abssi has made a "complete" confession about the group's activities ahead of the Nahr al-Bared battle, including a terrorist attack carried out by "his loyalists" against Lebanese army troops.

ABBSI’S SUCCESSOR “AWAD” STILL IN AIN EL-HELWE CAMP

The daily also said that Lebanese security forces have contacted influential groups in the Ain el-Helwe Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Sidon to coordinate the arrest of “Abu Mohammed Awad”, Fatah al-Islam’s new leader according to the confessions of the group’s network arrested in Syria recently. Al-Akhbar added that “it is understood that Awad has never left the camp and is currently residing at a location known to the influential group that has the means to contact him, but it was not clear whether an agreement was made over the mechanism to hand him over.”

NORTH LEBANON STRAINED FRANCE – SAUDI RELATIONS

According to the Lebanese daily, the source stressed contacts involving international sides have uncovered a strong connection between Fatah al-Islam and the Al-Qaeda organization. He added that there exists a ‘person’ in the northern Lebanese city Tripoli with strong links to the organization. “However, there are certain considerations standing in the way of arresting him, knowing that security services are scrutinizing information about arms and money shipments to the north via outside groups including an Arab country,” the source revealed. He added that “one of the main reasons behind the strained Saudi-French ties was the sequence of events in northern Lebanon as well as other parts of the world.” Citing a diplomatic report, the source said that “French authorities have informed a senior Saudi diplomat that French security services and other friendly services have found small French made arms in Afghanistan and north Lebanon. The arms turned out to be part of an arms deal between Saudi Arabia and France during President Jacques Chirac’s presidency.”

ARMY INTEL ARRESTS MORE FATAH AL-ISLAM OPERATIVES

In the meantime and as a result of an unprecedented coordination between the Lebanese Army Intelligence and Palestinian factions, security forces more Fatah al-Islam operatives. In the Beddawi refugee camp in northern Lebanon, sources said that security forces have been after a male and a female whose names were mentioned several times by the Abdul Ghani Jawhar group that made confessions to the army intelligence. Security forces arrested another man outside the camp and he turned out to have a British passport, well informed sources told Al-Manar.



18/11/2008 - source : almanartv Lebanon