June07-2007
One Killed in Blast at Zouk Mosbeh's Industrial District
Retrieved from Naharnet on June 7, 2007
A Lebanese man was killed and three Syrians wounded in an explosion that ripped through the industrial district of Zouk Mosbeh, north of Beirut Thursday night.
"A Lebanese man was killed and three Syrian workers wounded" in the blast, security sources said.
The 9:20 pm explosion was the fifth to target Beirut and its environs since gunbattles erupted between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam fighters at the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared on May 20.
Ambulances and fire engines raced to the scene about 20 kilometers north of Beirut. TV footage showed mangled remains of cars overturned on the street.
The explosion set off a large fire in an oxygen cylinders warehouse as black smoke billowed from the area.
Firefighters battled to prevent the blaze from reaching nearby factories and mechanic workshops.
LBCI TV station said the blast was caused by a car bomb.
Security Forces Abort Attempt to Blow up 3 Booby-trapped Cars
Retrieved from Naharnet on June 7, 2007
Lebanese troops on Thursday discovered three vehicles rigged with explosives during a raid on a hideout in east Lebanon's Bekaa valley, security officials said.
The two cars and a van were discovered near the town of Bar Elias, a day after security forces captured three foreign militants in the area, the officials said.
It was not immediately known if the three belonged to Fatah al-Islam, which has been fighting the Lebanese army since May 20 at the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared near the northern city of Tripoli.
The three, two Syrians and an Iraqi, were arrested near Bar Elias about 10 kilometers from the main border crossing to Syria, police said Wednesday.
Security forces found weapons, explosives, detailed maps of villages and cities and night-vision goggles in their hideout. The National News Agency said the three testified to rigging the un-registered vehicles with explosives.
Also Wednesday, the army arrested a man, disguised a veiled woman wearing a black robe, as he walked through the town of Mina near Tripoli, a local security official said.
The 20-year-old man, a Syrian, identified as Mohammed Abdul Samed Abdul Rahman Abu Khaferin, was taken to a military barracks for questioning to determine whether he belonged to Fatah al-Islam and was trying to flee the city.
Four explosions in Beirut and nearby areas have killed one person and wounded 40 others in the past few weeks.
Early Thursday, a concussion hand grenade blew up in Beirut's Furn al Shubbak district near a school, damaging several vehicles and further rattling the security situation.
A battery and a timing device were found in a plastic bag at Aintoura school, north of Beirut, causing panic among the students and staff, NNA said.
The agency said that firecrackers at Notre Dame University campus in Barsa, Koura province also caused panic.(AP-Naharnet)