A United Nations-backed tribunal on Tuesday convicted a Hezbollah member of conspiracy to kill former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in a 2005 bombing that set the stage for years of confrontation between Lebanon’s rival political forces.
There was insufficient evidence against three other men charged as accomplices in the bombing and they were acquitted by the tribunal, located in the Netherlands.
“The trial chamber is satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the prosecution has proved the guilt of Salim Jamil Ayyash on all counts charged,” said presiding Judge David Re.
“Mr. Ayyash had a central role in the execution of the attack and directly contributed to it. Mr. Ayyash intended to kill Mr. Hariri and had the required knowledge about the circumstances of the assassination mission, including that explosives were the means to be used.”
Prosecutors also established that Ayyash had an affiliation with Hezbollah, the tribunal found in its 2,600-page ruling.
The three other defendants — Hassan Habib Merhi, Assad Hassan Sabra and Hussein Hassan Oneissi — are also alleged members of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia Muslim group. All of the men were being tried in absentia.
Judges said they had however found no evidence that the leadership of Hezbollah or the Syrian government had played a part in the attack that left 21 others dead. Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the Feb. 14, 2005 bombing.
“The trial chamber is of the view that Syria and Hezbollah may have had motives to eliminate Mr. Hariri and his political allies, however, there is no evidence that the Hezbollah leadership had any involvement in Mr. Hariri’s murder and there is no direct evidence of Syrian involvement,” Re said earlier.
The verdict comes as the Lebanese people are still reeling from the aftermath of a huge explosion in Beirut that killed 178 people this month and from a devastating economic meltdown.
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