Lebanese authorities arrested a fugitive hard-line Sunni cleric Saturday who was wanted on suspicion of being involved in deadly clashes with government troops in 2013 that deepened sectarian tensions in the country.
Advertisement
According to the Beirut-based newspaper The Daily Star, al-Assir changed his appearance by removing his beard and “doing a number of plastic surgeries”.
The hardline cleric was detained at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri global Airport as he was trying to fly to Nigeria via Cairo, using a fake Palestinian travel document with a valid visa, the security directorate added.
The clashes, which erupted after Assir loyalists opened fire on an Army checkpoint in the city, resulted in the deaths of 18 Army soldiers and at least 40 militants.
The fighting, which centered on the Abra district in the eastern outskirts of Sidon, spread quickly, wounding dozens of civilians and paralyzing much of the coastal city.
Charges against him include forming a terrorist organization and inciting violence against the army.
Last year, Assir posted a message on Youtube calling on Sunni Muslims to defect from the Lebanese army, which is carefully balanced to reflect the country’s sectarian make-up.
Assir was a virtual political unknown until the outbreak of the Syria conflict in 2011. Sunnis largely support those fighting against Syrian President Bashar Assad, who belongs to the Shiite minority called Alawites.
Advertisement
His preachings were given considerable coverage among Lebanon’s satellite channels, but Assir also indulged in media stunts such as posting photos of himself and his entourage swimming in the sea wearing white t-shirts and long shorts.
