Security Forces Foil Bomber at Hamra's Costa Cafe
Army intelligence agents arrested overnight Saturday a would-be suicide bomber at the Costa cafe in Beirut's Hamra district.
A man wearing an explosive bomb belt was detained by authorities after entering the crowded cafe in Hamra, one of the capital's busiest areas, security sources told AFP.
The cafe is on the main street of the bustling district, and was filled with people socializing on a weekend evening when the arrest occurred around 11:00 pm.
The sources said the man was being followed by security forces, who have stepped up foot patrols in the neighborhood in recent weeks.
The man was injured during the arrest, with several soldiers holding him down to ensure he was not able to detonate the belt, one security source said.
He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment before interrogation, the sources added.
An army statement identified the would-be bomber as 25-year-old Lebanese national Omar al-Assi, saying he hails from the southern city of Sidon according to an ID found on him after the arrest.
The statement also said the operation was a joint effort with the Intelligence Branch of the Internal Security Forces.
Military sources told LBCI television that the would-be attacker had taken part in the 2013 deadly clashes between the army and Ahmed al-Asir's group in the Sidon suburb of Abra.
“He was wanted on multiple arrest warrants and loyal to a group led by Shahine Suleiman and Mutassem Qaddoura,” the sources added.
Media reports said Assi eventually became affiliated with the extremist Islamic State group and that confessions by another would-be bomber who was arrested in Tripoli in recent days had contributed to thwarting the attack in Hamra.
The National News Agency said army intelligence agents raided Assi's house in Sidon's al-Sharhabil area hours after the attack where they seized a computer and arrested two of his brothers and several of his relatives from the Bukhari and Habli families.
Lebanon has been hit by a string of bomb attacks in recent years, with some linked to the ongoing war in neighboring Syria.
Some of the deadliest blasts have targeted neighborhoods sympathetic to Hizbullah, which is fighting alongside Syria's government against an uprising.
The casualties in the blasts have been almost exclusively civilians.
The Hamra neighborhood, a district known for shopping and nightlife, has not previously been hit by an attack.
But in June 2016, the army said it had arrested jihadists from the Islamic State group planning attacks against busy areas, including Hamra.
An AFP correspondent in Hamra said a heavy security presence remained in place with the cafe and several nearby restaurants closing after the incident.
But residents and nightlife goers could still be seen on the street, which was reopened to traffic around an hour after the arrest.
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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