The Special Tribunal for Lebanon closed on Thursday the trials of suspects in the 2005 killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The Judge of STL's Trial Chamber, David Re, adjourned the first day's last session, whereas the court will convene tomorrow at 9:30 CET. The trial in absentia of the four suspects accused of killing Lebanese statesman Rafic Hariri opened in The Hague on Thursday morning, nine years after the bomb attack in which the former prime minister and 21 others died.
In this context, the prosecution said that Badreddine and Salim Ayyash prepared for Hariri’s assassination before 4 months and monitored his actions over three months, adding that the driver of the explosive laden van detonated himself near Hariri’s convoy manually, not remotely.
The prosecution added that the Mitsubishi vehicle used in Hariri’s assassination was sold in Tripoli, after being imported from an Arab country, adding that it was not used before the explosion.
This as Special Tribunal for Lebanon spokesman Marten Youssef said that a new chapter of justice just started, adding that the Lebanese people will achieve truth. For his part, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that "The Special Tribunal for Lebanon has started and attempts to hurdle its work will not pay off.” In turn, MP Sami Gemayel stressed that their demand is to add the case of Pierre Gemayel assassination to the cases of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, noting however that there are measures to be taken in this regard. He added that the accuracy adopted in the tribunal’s work is a positive sign and may lead to the unveiling of the truth. Meanwhile, former General Security chief Jamil al-Sayyed said that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon “lacks credibility for overlooking the false witnesses' dossier while investigating.” The four suspects - members of Hezbollah movement - are accused of planning the 2005 blast on the waterfront in the capital Beirut, which almost tipped the country back into civil war. All four men remain are at large.