TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The head of a pro-Syrian party based in Tripoli is expected to appear for questioning before the Judicial Council Saturday after disappearing for over a year, in what sources consider a sign of an agreement that could see the release of rival militia commanders.
Judge Alaa al-Khatib will question former MP Ali Eid, the head of the Arab Democratic Party, which is influential in the neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen, over twin bomb attacks that hit two mosques in Tripoli in the summer of 2013.
In February 2014, Military Investigative Judge Riyad Abu Ghayda issued an arrest warrant in absentia for Eid over his alleged involvement in aiding a suspect in the bombings, his driver, flee into Syria.
Months earlier, Military Prosecutor Saqr Saqr charged Eid as well as ADP member Ahmad Mohammad Ali with “hiding” a wanted suspect for the bombings which left 42 people killed and wounded over 400.
Eid fled his Akkar village of Hikr al-Daheri in the wake of the charges and headed to Syria. Media reports of his whereabouts were mixed, with some saying he was in northern Syria and others that he was residing in Damascus.
Months later his son Rifaat, head of the ADP politburo, joined him in Syria after a security plan was implemented in north Lebanon by the government in April 2014 to end the recurrent rounds of fighting between opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
In line with the plan, dozens of militia commanders from Bab al-Tabbaneh – where anti-Syrian regime sentiments run high – and their rivals in Jabal Mohsen were arrested in raids.
In Jabal Mohsen, Eid’s supporters believe that their leader will return home once he is questioned. ADP supporters plan to hold a ceremony to receive him.
“We are certain that he is innocent and all accusations made against him in the past are mere media fabrications meant to target the head of the Alawite sect because he supports the regime of Bashar Assad and Syria,” one of his supporters said. “The time has come to unveil the truth.”
Meanwhile, the Muslim Scholars Committee, which has consistently called for the arrest of both the ADP founder and his son for their alleged involvement in the bombings, remained silent over the prospect of Eid’s return to Tripoli.
When contacted by The Daily Star, several members of the Committee refused to comment on the issue. One of them said, “The issue is in the hands of the Lebanese judiciary, which we fully trust, and we only seek to reveal the truth and punish the perpetrators.”
Eid will appear for questioning days after the arrest warrant issued against him by the Military Court last year was withdrawn.
Earlier this week, Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi clarified that the withdrawal of the arrest warrant for Eid was a routine measure after the case was referred to the Judicial Council, which investigates national security cases.
He said that the Judicial Council would now conduct an investigation and issue arrest warrants against all those involved, denying that the withdrawal of the warrant against Eid was linked to the Future Movement-Hezbollah dialogue which kicked off last month.
But a political source in Tripoli said that despite Rifi’s justification the expected return of Eid indicated that a political settlement had been reached between the rival parties, one that could lead to the release of the detained militia commanders as well.
“The return of Ali Eid is perhaps a sign of a tangible progress in the dialogue between Hezbollah and the Future Movement,” said the source, requesting to remain anonymous.
He added that it was unlikely Eid would be arrested, citing many cases referred to the Judicial Council which have seen very little progress.
“There should be a political settlement to heal the wounds in Tripoli, including settling the case of militia commanders,” the source added.
The rising threat of ISIS, he added, required that all divisive political factions compromise to settle their differences in order to strengthen national unity.
“Reconstruction and development in poor Tripoli neighborhoods is the main challenge facing all political parties,” he said.
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