Judge Abou Ghida completes his probe in Tripoli twin blasts

First Military Investigation Magistrate, Riad Abou Ghida completed on Tuesday his probe into the twin explosions that targeted al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques in Tripoli, and referred the file to the military investigative judge for further study.

On Friday the 23rd of August, two explosions rocked the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli near the al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques, leaving 45 killed and almost 500 others injured.

In the details, one blast occurred outside the al-Taqwa mosque as Friday prayers ended, while the other hit central Tripoli near the al-Salam mosque facing the residence of the former general director of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces Major General Ashraf Rifi.

The al-Taqwa mosque is where hardline Salafist Sheikh Salem Rafei preaches. He has been known for his anti-Syrian regime sentiment.

The blasts came amid rising tension in Lebanon resulting from Syria's civil war, which has sharply polarized the country along sectarian lines and between supporters and opponents of the regime of President Bashar Assad.