BEIRUT: Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk arrived Tuesday at the newly emptied, notorious Block B of Roumieh Prison, hours after it was revealed that documents seized in the cells proved many inmates’ terrorist activities.
Media reports said Machnouk arrived to tour in the highly damaged building, where Islamist prisoners, many of whom are classified as terrorist by the state, had been staying with relative impunity.
Security forces stormed Block B Monday, moving all 900 Islamists to Block D, in an unprecedented nine-hour operation.
The move came after the security forces found out that the twin suicide bombing in the northern city of Tripoli, which left nine people killed and at least 30 wounded, were planned from inside the prison’s walls.
Earlier Tuesday, a security source told The Daily Star that a large number files that was seized during and after the operation revealed that inmates had roles in many terrorist attacks that have targeted Lebanon in the past.
Documents also revealed that some of the inmates were preparing for new attacks to be carried on Lebanese soil.
Also Tuesday, Machnouk headed a meeting for the Lebanese Central Security Council to discuss the implementation of the security plan in northeast Lebanon.
The minister’s decision to storm the infamous prison block was widely praised by politicians from all over the political spectrum.
He was also called by Speaker Nabih Berri, Grand Mufti Abul-Latif Derian, and prominent Shiite religious figure Abdel-Amir Qabalan, who all saluted his efforts to ensure Lebanon's security.
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