Postponement of court sessions in Tleil-Akkar explosion and the terrorist bombing of the army checkpoint in Hermel

The Judicial Council convened on Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Souheil Abboud and the membership of advisory judges: Jamal Hajjar, Afif Hakim, Jean-Marc Oueiss, and Maya Majed.

The session was attended by Judge Mirna Kallas, representing the Public Prosecutor's Office, and it focused on two consecutive sessions dedicated to the case of the fuel tank explosion in the town of Tleil in Akkar and the terrorist attack against an army checkpoint in the Jisr Al-Assi area in Hermel.

In the first session, which was dedicated to the Tleil explosion, the prosecuting party was represented by lawyers Mohammad Mourad, Zeina Masri, and Charbel Arab. The defense was represented by lawyers Sakhr Al-Hachem, Ali Achmar, Jocelyne Al-Rahi, and Laurent Salameh.

Those released on bail attended, including H. Assad, B. Assad, B. Ibrahim, and K. Ibrahim.

Due to the unavailability of detainees and the need to complete interrogations, the Judicial Council decided to adjourn the session until September 29.

Then, the council proceeded with the first public trial session for the terrorist explosion that targeted an army checkpoint in Jisr Al-Aasi in Hermel, claiming the lives of two military personnel, one of whom was a captain, and a civilian who happened to be present at the checkpoint.

Lawyer Youssef Saad Roufail represented the prosecuting party, and the defense was represented by lawyers Aliya Shalha and Jocelyne Al-Rahi. The delegate of the victims, Nisrine Farhat, attended as two of the defendants, one of whom is a minor.

Documents were submitted to the council regarding the defendants A. Atrash, S. Hajjiri, A. Karim, S. Hajjiri, S. Sultan, and B. Hajjiri, indicating they had passed away. The council requested verification of this incident from the Public Prosecution. A grace period was granted for several defendants, and the session was adjourned until October 13.

It is worth noting that the terrorist explosion against the army checkpoint was caused by a four-wheel-drive car that was being pursued by the army. The suicide bomber detonated himself upon being apprehended by the checkpoint's personnel, leading to the martyrdom of Captain Elias Al-Khoury, Sergeant Hamza Al-Faytrouni, and civilian Mohammad Deeb Ayoub, as well as the injury of 18 individuals, both civilians and military personnel.

The incident also resulted in significant material damage to public and private properties. The explosion occurred on February 22, 2014, and the examining magistrate, Judge Sabouh Al-Hajj Suleiman, issued his accusatory decision in the case on December 14, 2021.