Lebanon arrests break up ISIL sleeper cells

Lebanese efforts to arrest terror suspects and bring them to trial have over the last few years uncovered many cells affiliated with groups such as the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) and prevented multiple attacks, experts said.

Among those arrested in early 2014 was Naeem Abbas, an explosives expert who has been deemed responsible for many bombings in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

"The investigations conducted by the security agencies, including army intelligence, the General Directorate of General Security (GDGS), the information branch of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) and other agencies, have proven their effectiveness in sparing Lebanon from major security disasters," said Judge Mohammed Saab, adviser to the Minister of Justice.

Telecommunication companies provided data that, in conjunction with the sharing of information between local and international agencies, led to the uncovering of terror networks before they were to attack, he told Al-Shorfa.

After Abbas was arrested, he revealed information about a February 2014 car bomb driven by Jumana Hamid, who was apprehended mere hours before it was to be detonated, in addition to other names, Saab said.

The top notch investigation techniques security agencies employ, the co-ordination between them and consolidation of information from multiple sources, including telecommunication data, enabled them to arrest Abbas and Sheikh Khalid Hablas in April 2015, he said.

Hablas had engaged in armed clashes with the army in Tripoli, which pursued him following information on his relationship with fugitive Osama Mansour, one of the individuals responsible for the violence in that city.

Hablas was arrested as security agencies pursued Mansour, Saab said, adding that "they were both preparing for terrorist acts, all of which were thwarted".

Investigations unmask ISIL operatives

"The permanent body of the military court chaired by Brig. Khalil Ibrahim is doing an outstanding job, as it considers 60 terrorist crimes on a three-days per week schedule, or 20 terrorist crimes per day," said Lina Fakhriddine, a journalist who covers terrorist groups and the trials of terror suspects.

After the various security agencies complete their investigations, she told Al-Shorfa, they refer the detainees to the military court for trial.

Currently, investigations are ongoing with two detainees, she said: Abbas, who has been detained since February 2014, and Ahmed Salim Mikati, a key ISIL operative in the north, who has been detained since October 2014.

"The investigations have revealed that Abbas worked with al-Nusra Front (ANF) before switching to ISIL, and is responsible for most of the bombings that took place in the southern suburb," Fakhriddine added.

Before that, he was with the al-Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades, she said, noting that "he is known to be an explosives expert, and is very familiar with the southern suburbs of Beirut".

As for Mikati, she said, the investigation and subsequent trial revealed that "he was tasked by ISIL to establish an 'Islamic state' in Tripoli and the north, to link Syria with the barren [border] areas of Lebanon through al-Dinniyeh area".

"This dream collapsed upon Mikati’s arrest," Fakhriddine said, noting that his arrest and trial led to the "breakup of a large number of ISIL terrorist networks and sleeper cells in Lebanon".

According to Fakhriddine, "the investigations with the arrested terrorists revealed how ISIL recruits youth and the structure of its cluster networks".

"During our following of the trials, the investigations revealed that some of the detainees were lured with money by ISIL, which communicated with them via the encrypted Telegram app," she said.

ISIL networks collapse after arrests

Each time the head of a network is arrested, other networks collapse, while others fall into a state of chaos prompting their members to flee, Fakhriddine said.

This was the case with a man known as Abu Baraa al-Iali, who recruits Tripoli youth via Facebook and is currently in the Syrian city of al-Raqa, she said.

"Since the arrest of terrorists began in 2013 to date, many big names have fallen into the hands of the (security) agencies and the judicial authorities," she said.

"From the beginning of 2016 through June 22nd, 301 terrorist crimes have been recorded, and the arrest of those involved in them spared Lebanon from major security threats," she said.

Political analyst George Shaheen described these investigations and trials as "pre-emptive security" and praised the co-ordination among security agencies.

"The investigations of the detainees led to the breakup of terrorist networks and cells and disruption of their plans in Lebanon," he told Al-Shorfa.

Sleeper cells that had been conspiring undercover collapsed after some of their elements were arrested and confessed to the crimes they were plotting, he said, adding that this is important for the security and stability of Lebanon.