BEIRUT
The Lebanese army defused a car-bomb in a Beirut parking lot on Wednesday based on a confession extracted from a detained leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a security official said.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that Lebanese security forces on Wednesday had arrested brigades leader Naim Abbas, a Palestinian accused of carrying out previous bombings inside Lebanon.
"Based on [Abbas'] confession, we found and defused a large amount of explosives planted in a 4x4 vehicle and placed in a parking lot in the Corniche al-Mazraa district," the official said.
He added that the vehicle had been stolen and that it had borne a fake license plate.
Another official described Abbas's arrest as a "valuable catch," expecting his capture to lead to a decrease in bomb attacks and the identification of other perpetrators.
"[Abbas] had played a dangerous role in past terrorist attacks in Lebanon," the official asserted.
According to the official, Abbas was captured on Lebanese soil and referred to military prosecutors.
The Abdullah Azzam Brigades had earlier claimed responsibility for a November attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut in which 24 people were killed, including the Iranian culture attaché.
The country has seen a total of ten bombings since last August, most of which have targeted strongholds of Shiite militant group Hezbollah, whose involvement in the Syrian conflict next door has drawn condemnation from Sunni-Muslim quarters both inside and outside Lebanon.
In December, the Lebanese government arrested brigades leader Majid al-Majid, who later died in custody.
And last month, Lebanese security forces arrested high-profile target Omar al-Atrash, said to have links with the Abdullah Azzam Brigades and other Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups such as the the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and Syria's Al-Nusra Front.
By Paula Astih
englishnews@aa.com.tr
