Al-Asaad Claims Receiving Death Threat, Holds Nasrallah and State Responsible for Salman's Murder
The head of the Lebanese Option Party, Ahmed al-Asaad, called the killer of the student committee official “a beast,” holding Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Lebanese authorities responsible for his murder and claiming that he had received a death threat.
Holding a photo of Hizbullah members wielding batons and assaulting protesters, al-Asaad pointed to one of them, saying: “We believe he is the beast who killed Hashem Salman.”
Al-Asaad asked for the people's assistance in identifying him and informing investigators.
Last Sunday, Hizbullah members attacked protesters from the Lebanese Option Party and killed Salman after shooting him in the abdomen outside the Iranian embassy in the neighborhood of Bir Hassan in Beirut's southern suburbs.
The demonstrators had barely time to stage their rally near the mission when they came under attack by the Hizbullah members who were wearing black shirts with yellow ribbons around their arms.
During his press conference, al-Asaad accused Nasrallah of lying that a probe was under way into the man's death. “A clergyman doesn't lie and only speaks the truth,” he said.
“You are responsible for Salman's assassination,” he said.
The head of the Lebanese Option Party, a Shiite politician who is a fierce critic of Hizbullah, also laid blame on the armed forces and mainly army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji for failing to prevent Salman's murder.
“The army's communique proved to the Lebanese people that the military institution is a Hizbullah follower. This is a shame,” he said.
Al-Asaad called on Qahwaji to resign.
The army's vague communique had said that upon the arrival of a convoy belonging to a political party to Bir Hassan, a fight broke out between members of the convoy and some citizens during which an individual opened fire from a pistol that led to the serious injury of a man, who later died.
While addressing reporters, al-Asaad was interrupted by an aide who allegedly told him that his office had received a death threat. But an unwavering al-Asaad went ahead with his press conference, calling for a rally next Sunday near the Iranian embassy where last week's attack took place.
He dubbed it “the demonstration of Martyr Salman” and urged all the people to participate in the rally by only holding Lebanese flags.
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