Fatah al-Islam Official, Wife Arrested in House Raid in Tripoli

Lebanese police stormed a house on Thursday in the northern city of Tripoli, arresting Fatah al-Islam official Nabil Rahim, a police statement said.

 

It said Rahim, a Lebanese citizen, was “the main coordinator between terrorist organizations inside and outside Lebanon.”

 

Security officials said Rahim was detained along with his wife. The couple had been renting an apartment in the city”s Abu Samra neighborhood, they said.

 

Fatah al-Islam fought a three-month battle with Lebanese army troops.

 

The fighting ended in September when the army overran the camp, arresting many of its fighters.

 

Other Fatah al-Islam members, including its Palestinian leader, Shaker Youssef Abssi, escaped.

 

The Lebanese government has said about 222 Fatah al-Islam terrorists were killed in the fighting which took place last summer and more than 200 were arrested, while a total of 168 Lebanese soldiers died. Palestinian officials have said 47 Palestinian civilians were killed.