BEIRUT, 21 September 2005 — Four men who sold mobile phone lines that were only used around the time of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri have been arrested, a Lebanese judicial source said yesterday.
The men were on a list of 10 mobile subscription salesmen handed over to Lebanese public prosecutor Said Mirza by the UN inquiry into Hariri’s killing in a massive Beirut bomb blast in February, the source said.
Mirza issued arrest warrants against the four who may face charges of withholding information about a crime, the source said, adding that investigating judge Elias Eid was now questioning them.
Mobile lines are sold privately in Lebanon, often at a premium.
Hariri’s killing sparked popular outrage in Lebanon amid a widespread belief that Syrian intelligence agents were involved despite repeated denials from Damascus.
Lebanese authorities earlier this month arrested four former Lebanese security chiefs in connection with the killing following recommendations from the UN inquiry.
The inquiry’s head, German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, arrived in Damascus yesterday where he was due to question Syrian intelligence officials over the bombing.
A Reuters reporter saw the investigation team’s convoy cross the Lebanese border post of Masnaa into Syria under heavy security earlier in the day.
A Syrian source said Mehlis and his team would hold their meetings in a secret location outside Damascus.
Lebanese sources said the team would question Syrian officers who had a role in Lebanon’s security around the time of the killing as well as other senior officials. They include Rustom Ghazali, chief of intelligence in Lebanon, and senior aides Mohammad Khallouf and Jamae Jamae.
