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Cypriot court orders detention of Lebanese man in suspected terrorist case

Xinhua, June 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

A court in the sea-side city of Larnaca issued a five-day remand order against a second Lebanese man who is allegedly involved in a conspiracy to stage attacks against Israeli targets.

The 62-year old, a naturalized Cypriot, allegedly helped import in Cyprus 5 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound which can be turned into a powerful explosive when mixed with other substances.

A 26-year old Lebanese traveling on a Canadian passport is already in police custody pending investigations into charges of conspiring to stage bomb attacks and being in possession of explosives.

The remand court hearing was again held behind closed doors, after the judge ordered members of the public and journalists out.

"The case is of such nature and there are conditions justifying the hearing to be held in camera for the public interest," the judge said.

Sources familiar with the investigations said the man is the owner of a transport company which accepted to import in Cyprus the ammonium nitrate in first aid ice packs.

The sources said the import of the ammonium nitrate started in 2011.

On May 27 the police arrested the 26-year old Lebanese and found 5 tons of ammonium nitrate in the basement of a house in Larnaca where he was staying.

Cypriot authorities are seeking the man who bought the house several years ago but did not stay in it. He is said to be a Lebanese with a French passport.

The state radio said that authorities are on the verge of issuing an international warrant for his arrest.

The Israeli government has said it has been informed by the Cypriot authorities that the ammonium nitrate was to be used by Hezbollah in planned attacks on Israeli targets, which possibly included Israeli tourists and the country's embassy in Nicosia.

Hezbollah had used explosive devices made with ammonium nitrate for the attacks in Bali in 2002, in which 202 people were killed and on the British consulate in Istanbul in 2003, which killed 32 people. Endit