LEBANON-ATTACK/UPDATE Lebanon's Tripoli calm after yesterday's suicide attack on cafe

Record ID: 355128

  • Title: LEBANON-ATTACK/UPDATE Lebanon's Tripoli calm after yesterday's suicide attack on cafe
  • Date: 11th January 2015
  • Summary: TRIPOLI, LEBANON (JANUARY 11, 2015) (REUTERS) LEBANESE RED CROSS AMBULANCES DRIVING PAST LEBANESE ARMY SECURITY CORDON AROUND AT EXPLOSION SITE RED CROSS AND ARMY MEMBERS AT EXPLOSION SITE ARMY MEMBER STOPPING MAN FROM APPROACHING EXPLOSION SITE PEOPLE GATHERING AROUND JOURNALIST DOING INTERVIEW NEAR EXPLOSION SITE MORE OF PEOPLE GATHERING / AUDIO OF QUR'AN (SOUNDBITE) (A
  • Embargoed: 26th January 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8XO4PDLOEJVR7OD28XG9J2KXE
  • Story Text: It was a quiet morning in the Lebanese northern city of Tripoli on Sunday (January 11), but a cautious mood pervaded after a suicide bomb attack on a cafe that killed at least seven people on Saturday (January 10).
    The attack was the latest violence to hit a region repeatedly buffeted by violence linked to the civil war in neighbouring Syria.
    The Nusra Front, al Qaeda's official affiliate in the Syrian civil war, said it carried out the double suicide attack in the predominantly Alawite district of Jabal Mohsen "in revenge for the Sunnis in Syria and Lebanon". The statement appeared on a Twitter feed operated by the group's media arm.
    Lebanon's National News Agency gave the names of two suicide attackers it said were from Tripoli, an overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim city whose long-standing sectarian tensions have been exacerbated by the Syrian civil war.
    "Unfortunately (this happened despite) the security in force in Tripoli and the agreements that were made. We wish upon all Lebanese people to stand together behind the military institution and the Lebanese army to fight terrorism and extremism, and arrest everyone who wants to tamper with the security of Lebanon," said Abdul Latif Saleh, the former mayor of Jabal Mohsen and the media officer of the Arab Democratic Party.
    Lebanon's Health Ministry said the attack killed seven people. Other officials put the death toll at nine. Three dozen people were wounded.
    Yet some hoped that Tripoli would become a safer and a more peaceful place in the near future.
    "The suicide bombings that happened yesterday certainly created an atmosphere of anxiety and tension in Tripoli, but there were precautionary measures taken by the Lebanese army and there were plenty of political statements and almost a consensus on condemning the crime that happened in a popular cafe in Jabal Mohsen, and what we have seen of statements, be it from the Alawite Islamic Council or other political and religious leaders in Tripoli, indicate that the anxiety and tension period won't last and Tripoli will overcome this security bump peacefully," Abdel Salam Touroukmani, a journalist from Tripoli said.
    Prime Minister Tammam Salam said in a statement the attack was "a new attempt to spread the seeds of strife" in Tripoli and would not "weaken the determination of the state and its decision to confront terrorism and terrorists".
    The army said the attack was carried out by a lone suicide bomber, though its investigations were still underway. The National News Agency said the second bomber had blown himself up as people gathered in response to the first blast.
    Lebanon's security has been repeatedly jolted by the Syria crisis, which has also helped paralyse its government: the country has been without a head of state since May.
    Tripoli, Lebanon's second biggest city, has historically been a bastion for Sunni Islamist groups, making it a concern for Lebanese security agencies that have warned of plans by Islamic State and the Nusra Front to destabilise the country.
    Militants linked to Islamic State and the Nusra Front mounted an attack on the Lebanese border town of Arsal last August. They are still holding around two dozen members of the security forces taken captive in that incursion.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register