Lebanon says suspect in Bir al-Abed car bomb arrested

Lebanon's interim National Defence Minister Fayez Ghosn Lebanon's interim National Defence Minister Fayez Ghosn decided on Friday to reveal sensitive information related to a current investigation of suspected terrorists in order to “prevent any speculation that may cause confusion with the Lebanese public.”
Ghosn said on July 27 intelligence services detained Lebanese national Hassan Hussein Rayed who admitted his involvement in a number of terrorist operations in collaboration with Omar Ahmed al-Atrash.
“Hassan Hussein Rayed was arrested and admitted committing jointly with Ahmad al-Atrash and others – terrorist acts and bomb attacks,” the caretaker defence minister added.
Rayed reportedly admitted to being  involved in the killing a number of military personnel by the army barrier of Wadi Hamid, with the help of Omar Ahmed al-Atrash, Samy Ahmed al-Atrash, Obieda Mustafa al-Hogairi, Ahmed abdel-Kareem and Sameh al-Baridi as well as four Syrian nationals.
The Lebanese minister added that Rayed has acknowledged that he participated in the killing of four people on June 16, along with Omar and Samy al-Atrash and four Syrians in Wadi Rafiq.
Besides the killings, Rayed admitted to planting two road side bombs on Harmel Roan on July 7 and preparing a number of car bombs that were supposed to explode in the southern neighbourhoods of Beirut and other areas.
Ghosn also revealed that the Intelligence branch of the Internal Security Forces arrested a suspect in the July explosion that targeted Bir al-Abed neighbourhood of Hezbollah’s stronghold in the Dahieh .
“Intelligence forces arrested Syrian national Hussam Diab Ghanem who is also known as Abu Halaq who is suspected of being behind the explosion in Dahieh last July,” Ghosn said.
He also noted that the car that exploded in Bir al-Abed was a Kia that had been stolen from the town of Khaldeh, south of the capital Beirut.
The interim minister praised the efforts of the Lebanese army and the intelligence service in protecting the country.
He blamed the attacks targeting military institutions for the delay in investigations and highlighted that he chose to brief the public on the developments in order to undermine any attempts to fuel sedition in Lebanon.