New impersonation case in Lebanon: How a fake Iraqi officer reached security figures

Report by Petra Abou Haidar, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

The head of security at the Iraqi Embassy was not actually the embassy’s head of security, and the alleged head of Iraq’s Counterterrorism Service in Beirut turned out to have no connection to counterterrorism, or even to the security sector. Are authorities facing a second “Abu Omar” case, this time with an Iraqi version?

Tarek Nasrawi, an Iraqi national who lived in Lebanon for seven years and is married to a Lebanese woman from Brital, built a broad network of relationships with officers, security officials, and civilians. 

He met several security figures and agency chiefs, including State Security Director-General Maj. Gen. Edgar Lawandos, before Lebanese Army Intelligence arrested him on charges of impersonation and confiscated the military uniform he allegedly used.

Nasrawi, also known in Lebanon as Tarek al-Husseini, is not an Iraqi officer but an employee at a sweets shop in Khalde. Investigations found that he had allegedly been impersonating a security official for about a year and a half, presenting himself in an official security capacity while requesting meetings with officers, security chiefs, and other security figures in Lebanon.

How was he exposed?

The case began after the Beirut Intelligence Branch received information that he was trying to arrange a meeting with a branch officer, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Mourtada.

Suspicions immediately arose.

Authorities then decided to lure him to the Beirut Intelligence Branch through Brig. Gen. Mourtada last Wednesday. Al-Husseini arrived at the branch, and during questioning, investigators determined that he was impersonating a security official.

He was immediately arrested and transferred to the investigation branch of the Intelligence Directorate at the Ministry of Defense, where investigations remain ongoing under the supervision of the public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation.

Investigations showed that the man was allegedly acting for the sake of “social prestige,” building relationships, and benefiting from services. He also allegedly misled people he met into believing he was a partner in the sweets shop where he worked. So far, investigators say there is no evidence of security-related intentions or activities linked to espionage or terrorism.

Sources at State Security do not deny that a meeting took place between al-Husseini and Maj. Gen. Lawandos, but said it occurred 10 days after Lawandos assumed his new position, as part of a congratulatory visit and an attempt to open channels of security coordination between the Iraqi Embassy and State Security.

According to the sources, the meeting lasted only four minutes. Al-Husseini congratulated Lawandos, wished Lebanon better days ahead, and then requested a photo with him using his personal phone.

The sources stressed that the directorate never published the photo on its website or among Lawandos’ official activities and said no further communication took place between the two men.

Security sources also questioned why Lawandos’ photo in particular was leaked and circulated, despite the suspect having met numerous security figures, asking who leaked it and why it surfaced at this time.

Other security sources, however, said al-Husseini himself posted the photo on his Facebook account before the account was blocked amid the ongoing investigation.

What about the other security agencies?

Security sources said Nasrawi’s meetings with officers and security figures extended across multiple agencies and included encounters with several agency chiefs. At the same time, the sources stressed that no communication took place between Nasrawi and any figure within the army.

In the same context, the General Security Directorate issued a statement denying reports that al-Husseini had met Director-General Maj. Gen. Hassan Choucair.

Ultimately, the final judgment rests with the judiciary, particularly as communication continues with the relevant Iraqi authorities to uncover all details surrounding the case.