|
 Chatah, 62, a Sunni Muslim, was also a critic of Lebanon's Shi'ite
Hezbollah movement and an adviser to former Prime Minister Saad
al-Hariri.
His killing occurred three weeks before the long-delayed opening of
a trial of five Hezbollah suspects indicted for the February 2005
bombing which killed former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, Saad's
father, and 21 other people.
Hezbollah has denied involvement in the 2005 attack. Preliminary
U.N. investigations implicated Syrian officials.
A tweet posted on his Twitter account less than an hour before the
blast accused the Shi'ite movement of trying to take control of the
country.
"Hezbollah is pressing hard to be granted similar powers in security
and foreign policy matters that Syria exercised in Lebanon for 15
years," the tweet read.
The explosion sent shock waves among residents and emptied the
streets in downtown where people, seeking a respite from recent
turmoil, had ventured out to enjoy the Christmas and New Year
holiday period.
The conflict in neighboring Syria has polarized Lebanon and
ratcheted up sectarian tensions. Hezbollah has sent fighters to
Syria to fight alongside Assad, who comes from the Alawite sect, a
heterodox offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
Some of the Sunni Syrian rebel groups are linked to al Qaeda, which
is also seeking to topple Assad.
Former minister Marwan Hamadeh, who survived a car bombing in 2004,
told Al Arabiya television: "Hezbollah will not be able to rule
Lebanon, no matter how much destruction it causes or blood it
spills".
CAR WRECKED
Sources at the explosion site said Chatah was on his way to attend a
meeting at Hariri's headquarters when the explosion tore through his
car. Hariri himself has stayed away from Lebanon for more than two
years, fearing for his safety.
A Reuters witness at the scene said his car was "totally destroyed,
it is a wreck." Chatah's identity card, torn and charred, was found
inside his car.
Iran, which backs Hezbollah, came under attack in Beirut last month.
On November 19, two suicide bombings rocked the embassy compound in
Lebanon, killing at least 25 people including an Iranian cultural
attache and hurling bodies and burning wreckage across a
debris-strewn street.
[to top of second column] |
A Lebanon-based al Qaeda-linked group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades,
claimed responsibility and threatened further attacks unless Iran
withdraws forces from Syria, where they have backed Assad's
2-1/2-year-old war against rebels.
The sound of Friday's blast was heard across the city at around 9:40
a.m. (0740 GMT) and a plume of black smoke was seen rising in the
downtown business and hotel district. It shattered glass in nearby
apartment blocks and damaged restaurants, coffee shops and offices
in the chic district of downtown Beirut.
"I heard a huge explosion and saw a ball of fire and palls of black
smoke. We run out of our offices to the streets," said Hassan
Akkawi, who works in a finance company nearby.
"The explosion caught motorists driving in the morning rush hour
here. There was terror and panic among residents. There was a big
ball of fire and panic everywhere and then we learned that Chatah
was the target," said Adel-Raouf Kneio.
Minutes after the blast ambulances were seen taking victims from the
area. A restaurant and a coffee shop were destroyed in the blast,
and several cars were on fire, the witness said. There was glass
everywhere and the acrid smell of explosives filled the air.
Much of Beirut went into lockdown following the explosion, with
police blocking off roads across the city.
After a series of explosions in the capital and in the northern city
of Tripoli, the Lebanese army had stepped up security measures ahead
of Christmas and New Year, fearing further attacks.
(Additional reporting by Mariam Karouny and Dominic Evans)
[© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
