Court Not Convinced of Muqdim”s Guilt; Hizbullah Must Disclose Real Identity of Pilot”s Shooter
MP Boutros Harb called on Hizbullah Thursday to reveal the real identity of the culprit who shot at a Lebanese army helicopter killing its pilot Samer Hanna last year.
On Wednesday, a military court released Hizbullah member Mustafa Hassan Muqdim who had confessed to "unintentional killing" Hanna and said he mistook the helicopter for an Israeli jet.
"Military investigations did not convince the court that Muqdim was the shooter … rather he confessed under a religious obligation," Harb said, adding he has been in contact with the court to inquire over the case.
The findings are "very frightening because they indicate that the real perpetrator is still anonymous," Harb said after a meeting with a delegation from the Carter Center for Election Monitoring.
He called on Hizbullah to "confess to who the real shooter was."
Separately, Harb also commented on Wednesday”s speech by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who strongly criticized Maronite Patriarch Sfeir for a pre-elections statement.
"Two points struck me most in Sayyed Nasrallah”s remarks: first is that he considered talk against the authority of the faqih harms the religious beliefs of a group in Lebanon. This is impermissible and unacceptable," Harb said.
The second point, he said, was Nasrallah”s criticism of Sfeir”s warning on the eve of the elections that "Lebanon”s entity and Arab identity will be in danger" should the opposition win.
Harb pointed to Bkirki”s stature for Lebanon saying "no one can ignore or disavow its significance and the role it played in the establishment of the Lebanese entity."
"No one can criticize the Maronite Patriarchy for its adherence to this entity or because it sounded the alarm bell when it rightly felt that this entity was in danger," Harb added.
The deputy called on the Lebanese to "turn the page … on the past era that harmed Lebanon."
"Let us begin the next phase by cooperating. Let us act as “Lebanese” and shun the state of agitation that prevailed in recent years," he said.