Report: Omar Atrash behind Rweiss Blast, Explosives Were Prepared in Arsal
Al-Manar television revealed on Tuesday new clues in the investigation of Beirut's southern suburbs bombing on August 15.
The deadly car explosion killed at least 22 people and wounded 325 others in Beirut's Rweiss neighborhood.
"The details behind the bombing were revealed once the path the booby-trapped car had passed through was discovered,” al-Manar said during its evening newscast, noting that the operation “was extended over three stages.”
It explained: “In the first stage, a BMW car was purchased by Nada al-Salman, who is from Alieh but a resident of (the Beirut neighborhood of) Msaitbeh. Then, a man who hails from (the Bekaa town of) Arsal bought it.”
"The car got later in the hands of Omar al-Atrash, also from Arsal.”
Al-Manar said security forces have interrogated al-Salman.
"But investigation revealed that she has nothing to do with the blast,” al-Manar remarked.
The same source continued: “In the second stage, Syrian nationals booby-trapped the car, changed its color from black to silver, and replaced its number plate in a garage in Arsal.”
"These transformations were done under the supervision of al-Atrash.”
In the last stage, three days before the blast, witnesses saw Mohammed Jassem al-Karaouni driving the car in the Bekaa town and the following day, it was seen the Beirut neighborhood of Cola, according to al-Manar.
"The car entered the Rweiss region minutes before the explosion. The driver parked it and left.”
Al-Manar added that Military Tribunal Judge Imad al-Zein will be investigating this case, noting however, that the General Prosecution did not give him the suspects' names “despite identifying them.”
Judicial sources told the Hizbullah TV channel that details surrounding the explosive used in the bombing “should be revealed soon.”
"What was revealed so far is great and should be followed-up with the arrest of the suspects,” the sources said, according to al-Manar.
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had said on Monday investigation into the attack showed Sunni extremists affiliated with the Syrian opposition were behind it.
"We have reached conclusive results, as promised," he said.
"It is a takfiri group working within the framework of the Syrian opposition and located on Syrian soil," he added, saying both Lebanese and Syrian nationals were involved in the attack.
"I think that official security forces have reached the same conclusion," said Nasrallah.
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