5 Australians Detained in Terror Crackdown in Northern Lebanon
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| Five Australians are among alleged Islamic extremists arrested in Lebanon in a counterterror crackdown, Australia’s foreign minister said Friday.The Canberra government said Monday that only three Australians had been arrested after gunbattles between militants and Lebanese soldiers in the northern port city of Tripoli.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he knew little about the plight of Australians detained in Lebanon, and embassy officials in Beirut were seeking access to the prisoners. “There is good information that there is a fifth, but we haven’t had confirmation finally of that,” Downer told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. He said initial reports that two Australians were killed in the fighting were incorrect. No Australians had died, he said. The detained Australians, all of Lebanese background, have been arrested by the Lebanese military over alleged connections to Fatah al-Islam which is locked in fighting with the army at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. On Wednesday, Australian newspapers said that a boxing champion who left Sydney abruptly is one of those being held in Lebanon on suspicion of terrorist activity. Ahmed Elomar, 24, who used the name ‘Trigger’ in the ring, suddenly stopped training and fled Sydney two weeks ago, his father Abu Ahmed told The Australian newspaper.(AP-Naharnet) |
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| Beirut, 29 Jun 07 | ||
