Roundup: Cypriot police to extend detention of Lebanese held in alleged Hezbollah plot

Cypriot police said on Tuesday that they will seek an extension of the custody of a 26-year-old Lebanese as they probe deeper into allegations that he was involved in a plot to target Israeli interests.

The man, who was traveling on a Canadian passport, was remanded in custody last week when found to be in possession of a large quantity of ammonium nitrate, commonly used in making high power explosive devices.

Police spokesman Andreas Angelides said senior police officers and investigators reviewed progress in the investigation into the case and decided on their next moves.

"We will ask for a new remand order extending his police custody when the current remand order expires on Thursday," Angelides said.

But he declined comment on a statement by Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya'alon on Monday that Cypriot authorities had informed the Israeli government that the case was part of a Hezbollah bomb plot.

"Revealing details of the case at the present time may compromise delicate national security issues and also the case itself," said Angelides.

Ya'alon, saying he was citing information from Cypriot authorities, described the suspect's residence in the sea-side city of Larnaca as a hide-out which "was being used by Hezbollah's international terrorism network."

Cypriot security sources said they are also seeking the owner of the house, who purchased it several years ago but never resided in it.

Angelides said Cypriot police are working closely with the international police, Interpol, and the European police, Europol, on the case.

But he refused to comment on speculation that the explosives were meant to be used in attacks against Israeli tourists, both in Cyprus and in other countries.

He said that the police finally established that the quantity of ammonium nitrate in the possession of the suspect was close to five tons, more than double the quantity originally announced.

It had been divided in tens of thousands of packets stored in the basement of a house.

The man had arrived in Cyprus late in May and had been under surveillance for about a week before he was arrested during a raid on the house where the ammonium nitrate was stored.

Cyprus is a popular vacation destination for Israelis but no attack against Israeli citizens was ever recorded on the island. A Swedish citizen of Lebanese decent was sentenced to a prison term two years ago after he a pleaded guilty to charges of collecting information on the movements of Israeli tourists.

Other incidents attributed to anti-Israeli groups included an foiled attack on the Israeli embassy in 1988, in which three people were killed.

Israeli secret agents are also suspected of being involved in two attacks against Palestinian operatives in Cyprus in the 1970s. Endit