Al Qaeda in Lebanon

Beirut, 24 Jan. (AKI) - Threats to use car bombs against UN premises, embassies, security forces and Palestinian leaders in Lebanon have been  made by a previously unknown group calling itself "The Black Tigers - the millitary wing of al-Qaeda in Lebanon". A statement released by the  group Tuesday, and seen by Adnkronos International (AKI), threatens imminent attacks against a wide range of targets.

"We will strike with car bombs all the offices of the UN inside and  outside the [Palestinian refugee camp] Sabra and Shatila and we will hit many foreign embassies" says one of the ten points in the 'first statement' by the group.

"For some time we have been committed to entering Sabra and Shatila, a 'symbol' for Palestinians in Lebanon and known world wide". 

The camp was the scene of one of the most brutal incidents in Lebanon, shortly after Israel's invasion in 1982. Israeli-allied Lebanese  Christian Phalange militiamen rampaged through the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps, killing hundreds, possibly thousands of people.

"It [the camp] needs reform and this warning must be taken seriously.  Today we are admonishing, while tomorrow we will proceed with the elimination  of tens [of people] as God is our witness" the statement reads. 

The statement by the group claimning to represent al-Qaeda in Lebanon  goes on to issue a series of warnings; against Lebanese army officials "not  to infiltrate the Palestinian camps with their informers and urging  Palestinian factions in Lebanon to 'return to Islam because their leaders are an 
easy target for our warriors".

There is also a threat against Walid ben Talal [a Saudi prince with Lebanese citizenship and a pan-Arab media magnate] and anyone working with him -  if they enter the camps, it says, they will be poisoned.

As well as political and security threats, there are also "moral"  warnings; to women from the camps not to go to the red light areas in Beirut, frequented by foreign intelligence agents; to outlets selling alcohol,  that their premises will be blown up; to pirate CD vendors; and to the camp pharmacy accused of handing out 'drugs' and giving medicines without prescriptions.

The unknown group also names some of the people they want to eliminate; collaborators of Abbas Zaki, the PA minister for Palestinian refugees; Ghassan Abdallah, a leading Palestinian official in Lebanon, and Khaled Aref, the Palestinian movement Fatah's representative in southern  Lebanon.

"Ulema (muslim clerics) who do not respect their faith and who steal  our goods" are also cited as objectives, as are Lebanese security officials  , "who exploited our fighting brothers who went to Syria and Iraq" and  "Were paid more than 800,000 dollars".

The message concludes with a call for the Lebanese state to support the 'brother combatants" who want to go to Iraq and "fight the infidels". 

For some years there have been suspicions about thte possible presence of al-Qaeda in Lebanon, and in particular in the camps, like Ein Hilwe,  near Sidon,  where the Israelis allege that there are elements of Bin LAden's network coming from Afghanistan.

In 2004, a plot for an attack against the Italian embassy in Beirut, 
was attributed to a presumed al-Qaeda cell. Last December the Lebanese security forces arrested13 people -seven  Syrians, four Lebanese, a Saudi and a Palestinian - suspected of being members  of the al-Qaeda network and found in possession of arms and plans for future attacks.