(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The two Malaysian terrorists named Rafiq Mohammad Aref and Mohammad Zarrin Shaban who joined al-Qaeda in 2007 were arrested after they failed to infiltrate Syria to conduct terrorist attacks in the crisis-hit Muslim state.
The two were arrested in al-Hamra hotel and were handed over to Lebanon's marshal court for further investigations and trial.
The Lebanese Army had announced earlier this week the capture of foreign terrorists armed with various types of weapons.
The Lebanese Al-Manar TV said in other operations the Army also arrested a number of armed people affiliated to the March 14th Coalition, an opposition to the Lebanese government, as well as more foreign terrorists in al-Qabbe district and another region where American nationals mostly reside.
The operations were carried out after a terrorist blast in Beirut which killed General Wissam al-Hassan, the intelligence chief of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, over a week ago sparked nationwide unrests in the country.
The explosion occurred in Beirut's Eastern Ashrafiya district, which is a predominantly Christian district, and near the headquarters of the Phalange, a Maronite Christian party. Several buildings were damaged and many cars were set on fire as a result of the blast.
Regional observers blamed the US and Israel for the assassination of Wissam al-Hassan, saying that the western media claims about the involvement of Damascus in the terrorist operation are a plot to darken the ties between Lebanon and Syria.
"The assassination of Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan was carried out due to his successes and moves against the Zionist regime's intelligence apparatus and the regime's mercenaries in Lebanon," Mohsen Saleh told FNA on Monday, adding that Wissam's stances and role in defusing the Zionist regime's seditious plots in Lebanon angered the Israeli regime and caused his assassination.
He also dismissed the western media allegations about Syria's involvement in the assassination of the Lebanese intelligence official, and said, "They seek to darken the relations between Syria and Lebanon as demanded by the US and the Zionist regime."
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