Explosion kills prominent Lebanese editor
Anti-Syrian journalist and politician Gibran Tueni was killed by a car bomb this morning, a day after he returned from France, where he had been staying periodically for fear of assassination.
Tueni’s uncle, Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, and the leading Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt blamed Syria for the bombing – a charge that Syria promptly denied.
Police said Tueni was one of three people killed when a car bomb exploded as his motorcade drove through the industrial suburb of Mkalles.
Another 30 people were wounded in the bombing, which started a fire that destroyed at least 10 vehicles.
“God have mercy on Gibran and An-Nahar will remain the beacon for freedom,” Jumblatt told LBC television, referring to An-Nahar newspaper of which Tueni was the general manager.
The political leader of the Druse community, Jumblatt said the bombing was intended to silence a voice who had sought those responsible for the February assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
“This is a new terrorism message,” Jumblatt said of the killing, referring to Hariri’s assassination and the mysterious series of subsequent bombings that have targeted mainly Lebanese opposed to Syrian influence in Lebanon.
Hamadeh threatened to withdraw from the Cabinet with two colleagues if the government did not demand a UN investigation into the continuing series of bombings.
He said there must be an international tribunal to “investigate the continuing crimes of the Syrian regime.”
Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah denied his government was involved, telling LBC television: “Those who are behind this are the enemies of Lebanon.”
Tueni, 48, had only returned to Lebanon yesterday from Paris, where he has been staying most of the past few months out of fear for his safety.
The bombing came the same day that the latest UN report into Hariri’s assassination is expected to be made public after it is delivered to the UN Security Council.
Chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis presented the report to Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday.
Mehlis’ earlier report, delivered in October, implicated top Syrian and Lebanese security officials in Hariri’s killing.
After Hariri’s death, Tueni played a prominent role in the leadership of the mass demonstrations that, combined with international pressure, succeeded in forcing Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in April, ending a 29-year presence in the country.
Tueni’s columns in An-Nahar often raised the ire of Syria. He was elected to parliament for the first time in the elections of May and June.
Many Lebanese blamed Syria for the killing of Hariri, who was seen as a quiet opponent of Syria’s dominance of the country.
Syria denies involvement in the killing of Hariri and says it is co-operating with the UN probe. But Syria has waged a campaign to discredit the commission since an interim report in October accused the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence agencies of complicity.
In an interview broadcast on Russian television yesterday, Syrian President Bashar Assad reiterated his country’s innocence and said any attempt to impose sanctions against Syria would destabilise the region.
In his comments to LBC today, Jumblatt said: “Someone told Russian TV that imposing sanctions on Syria would destabilise the Middle East. It looks as if the destabilisation has started. But we will respond by continuing to demand the truth.”
Tueni’s grandfather, Gibran Tueni, founded An-Nahar. His father Ghassan Tueni is considered the dean of the Lebanese press, having turned the newspaper into an institution respected by friend and foe across the Arab world.
