Leads emerge on killers as slain Fatah official laid to rest

SIDON, Lebanon: Assassinated Fatah official Walid Yassin was laid to rest Friday as leads emerged that could help in uncovering the killers.

The largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, Ain al-Hilweh, witnessed an almost normal day Friday, with most shops reopening.

A motorcade headed by numerous Fatah officials carried Yassin’s coffin to the cemetery outside the camp, as loved ones and acquaintances came to pay their final respects.

Yassin’s death sent shockwaves across Ain al-Hilweh. The official was killed instantly Wednesday, after armed men opened fire at his shop in the camp’s Fawqani Street.

Apart from claiming Yassin’s life, the shooting left four others wounded.

The body of the 41-year-old official was moved from the Labib Medical Hospital to his parents’ home in the Ras al-Ahmar neighborhood, where relatives said their final goodbyes to Yassin and urged officials to identify his killers.

The camp’s 150-member strong elite force, which was deployed in July and includes members from the camp’s various Palestinian factions, has taken measures to contain the situation in the event of a security incident in reaction to Yassin’s death.

In an attempt to identify the shooters, the force is examining surveillance footage from cameras scattered around the camps.

“Until now, there is no information available that points to particular suspects in the assassination crime,” said Abu al-Sahrif Akl of the Islamist group Osbat al-Ansar.

However, he explained that there are leads that might ultimately help identify the shooters. The perpetrators, he added, would not be protected by any Palestinian faction.

Akl spoke Friday after the camp’s Higher Security Committee met with the elite force’s Investigative Committee in Ain al-Hilweh.

“[The killing of Yassin] is an act that’s not acceptable on religious grounds, ethics or law and we’re [all] keen on uncovering the circumstances behind this incident.”

Akl has also stressed that the camp’s Islamist factions denounce the assassination of Yassin, after reports circulated on social media networks alleging that his group was involved in the shooting.

Al-Shabab al-Muslim, which includes members of Jund al-Sham and Fatah al-Islam, also condemned the act Wednesday.

“This time everyone will be responsible for stopping these [attacks] that tamper with the camp’s [security] and only serve [Israel],” Akl added.

Yassin’s killing sparked fears that violence would once again reign in the embattled camp, which has been relatively calm since the establishment of elite forces a few months ago.

Earlier this month, tensions rose after masked gunmen made rounds in the camp.

Armed with submachine guns, more than 25 members of the disbanded radical Fatah al-Islam group headed by Bilal Badr fanned out near the group’s headquarters on Fawkani Street, where Yassin would be targeted a few weeks later.