French Jihadist Describes Role in Lebanon Attack Plan
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A French jihadist has described in court documents his path from the suburbs of Paris to Lebanon's capital Beirut where he was planning an attack on Shiite Muslims.
Fayez Yusef Bushran, originally from the Comoros islands, disclosed his journey in court documents seen by Agence France-Presse on Friday. He is also charged with membership of the Islamic State group (IS) and preparing a suicide bomb attack.
The documents said Bushran, 24, had been living in the southwestern Paris suburb of Trappes, and had studied with a cleric "who encouraged me to undertake jihad."
Bushran said he had followed the conflict in Syria, where anti-government protests that erupted in March 2011 against President Bashar Assad spiraled into bloody civil war.
"I saw what is happening in Syria in terms of crimes against the Muslims and the signs that the Day of Resurrection is coming soon," the documents quoted him as saying.
"And I became convinced to go to Syria to fight for God and the Muslims."
Bushran said he reached out via Facebook to someone publishing "jihadist news" and was told to travel from Germany or Spain to Turkey, rather than from France, to prevent detection.
He flew from Frankfurt to Turkey, where he stayed in a safe house in Gazientep with 20 other young men.
They received religious lessons and trained for 20 days before being taken to Raqa, the IS stronghold in the Syrian province of the same name.
Bushran said he was eager to carry out a "martyrdom operation" and was assigned to carry out a suicide attack against Shiites in Lebanon.
Lebanon's Shiite Hizbullah is a close ally of the Syrian regime and has sent its forces to bolster Assad against the Sunni-dominated uprising there.
Hizbullah's role in Syria has made it a regular target for attacks by Sunni Muslim extremist groups in Lebanon.
Bushran was given $2,000 (1,600 euros) as expenses and went to Beirut where he checked into a hotel and communicated with a Lebanese contact.
He was told his mission would be to detonate an explosive belt in a public place, but before he received his final orders, his Syrian handler asked him to return to Turkey, saying "problems had led to the operation being canceled."
Lebanese security forces raided the Napoleon Hotel in Beirut's Hamra district on June 20, arresting Bushran before he could flee.
Five days later, security forces raided another Beirut hotel and arrested a Saudi man. During that raid, the Saudi's accomplice blew himself up, killing himself and wounding 10 people.
Bushran, the Saudi and 15 other people, only seven of whom are in custody, now face charges of belonging to IS and planning suicide attacks.
07 November 2014, 22:14
43
That is not what Rifi said, quote - "IS and Nusra doesn't exist in Lebanon" That you salafis protect his words doesn't surprise me at all.
07 November 2014, 22:21
32
We are not to justify Rifi. Qaeda IS in Lebanon. Bachar al assad and his proxies Hezbollah make sure they are strongly implemented in lebanon, so they can justify their illegal weapons.
07 November 2014, 22:27
00
In the sept-cinq, they aspire to be terroiristes, and in the neuf-trois they aspire to be terroristes.
07 November 2014, 22:29
00
@terrorist, the difference is this: the pasdaran do not try to behead me for being a different religion, they do not rape my daughters, and the pasdaran leave me to be how I am without violating my rights. They do not shove a koran in my hands and rape my wife for not wearing a headscarf. I KNOW, I have lived in the suburbs and was born there, and they leave me be, and if you have to know, I'm a Christian -_- and a da3ish hater.
07 November 2014, 23:37
22
blablabla
I fully agree with you. They are incurable death penalty must be upheld
08 November 2014, 02:30
00
The solution is simple...nuclear bomb...eliminate middle east...build airports and resorts....no more palestine, israel, Lebanon, Syria ect.... that is a sacrifice for the Human race...and worth it!!!
08 November 2014, 10:14
10
Indeed, like this dirty Georges Abdallah, he betrayed France and Lebanon. À la guillotine.
08 November 2014, 11:33
11
so that's how long it takes to train to strap a bomb to your backside and blow yourself up? 20 days,that must be some intense training.
08 November 2014, 13:49
11
Studied religious..? So one goes to study religion to kill others, nice, really nice. I hope whilst he is in jail, to enjoy the very treatment he gave our people. I am now fully against the Lebanese State to keep such defaecate terrorists alive, yes, provide them with a fair trial, but do it fast, don't delay, then start using those lamp poles in downtown, they are purposefully built in this way to hang such cowards. Our tolerance cannot be extended forever, nor can our generosity, or our patience. Our jails are cramped full, the money we spend on looking after such crap is better used to look after our poor and destitute, and certainly not after such lowlife criminals.
08 November 2014, 13:49
11
Studied religious..? So one goes to study religion to kill others, nice, really nice. I hope whilst he is in jail, to enjoy the very treatment he gave our people. I am now fully against the Lebanese State to keep such defaecate terrorists alive, yes, provide them with a fair trial, but do it fast, don't delay, then start using those lamp poles in downtown, they are purposefully built in this way to hang such cowards. Our tolerance cannot be extended forever, nor can our generosity, or our patience. Our jails are cramped full, the money we spend on looking after such crap is better used to look after our poor and destitute, and certainly not after such lowlife criminals.
