Lebanese man pleads guilty to terrorism charges in Cyprus

A 26-year old Lebanese man, arrested a month ago for possession of a large quantity of potential explosives, plead guilty on Monday to several terrorism charges in Cyprus.

Hussein Bassam Abdallah, a holder of a Canadian passport, admitted being in possession of 8.2 tons of ammonium nitrate, taking part in a plan to commit crimes, participating in and supporting a terrorist organization and of laundering 9,400 euros (10,490 U.S. dollars) which was the product of illegal activities.

He appeared at an open court hearing for the first time since he was arrested on May 27, after the ammonium nitrate was found in a house he was residing in following his arrival in Cyprus.

A three-member Assize Court, the most senior court empowered to judge criminal cases in Cyprus, heard a recount of the activities of the man.

A prosecutor said that the 26-year-old acted on behalf of Hezbollah and had come to Cyprus 11 times to oversee the illegal transfer of the ammonium nitrate between 2011 and 2015.

The prosecution gave no details of the planned terrorist actions.

Cypriot authorities have issued an international warrant for the arrest of the owner of the house the man was staying in at Larnaca. The man sought after is a Lebanese traveling on a French passport, who bought the house in which the explosives were found.

Abdallah is the second Lebanese to be sentenced in Cyprus for planning terrorist actions on behalf of Hezbollah. In 2013, Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, a holder of Lebanese and Swedish passports, acknowledged membership in Hezbollah and admitted to having staked out areas frequented by Israeli tourists. Endit