Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

On October 3, an explosion at a Hizballah munitions cache killed three militants in the
town of Nabi Sheet.
On October 6, Hizballah launched an unmanned aerial vehicle into Israel, which was shot
down by the Israel Defense Forces over southern Israel.
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: On May 12, the Directorate of General
Security (DGS) arrested Shadi al-Mawlawi, a Sunni leader in the city of Tripoli, for his alleged
ties to terrorist organizations. According to press reports, Lebanese authorities also arrested and
interrogated Hamza Mahmoud Tarabay and a Qatari citizen, Abdulaziz al-Atiyeh. After al-
Mawlawi’s arrest, sectarian clashes broke out in Tripoli and other parts of Lebanon, killing
several and wounding nearly a hundred. On May 22, al-Mawlawi was later released and al-
Atiyeh was extradited to his home country.
On August 9, the ISF arrested Michel Samaha, former Information Minister and Member of
Parliament, for allegedly smuggling explosives in his car from Syria, as part of a conspiracy to
assassinate outspoken opponents of the Asad regime and their Lebanese supporters. Though Mr.
Samaha later confessed to the charges against him, his case was pending a final resolution at
year’s end. On December 17, the United States designated Samaha as a Specially Designated
Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 and as a Specially Designated National under
Executive Order 13441.
Lebanese authorities maintained that amnesty for Lebanese involved in acts of violence during
the 1975-90 civil wars prevented terrorism prosecutions of concern to the United States.
Corruption remained a factor influencing all aspects of society, including law enforcement.
Lebanon did not have biometric systems in place at points of entry into the country. Lebanese
passports were machine readable, and the government was considering the adoption of biometric
passports. The DGS, under the Ministry of Interior (MOI), controls immigration and passport
services and uses an electronic database to collect biographic data for travelers at all points of
entry. The Lebanese government maintained bilateral agreements for information sharing with
Syria.
Lebanon has a Megaports and Container Security Initiative program, and participated in Export
Control and Related Border Security programs. Lebanon also continued to participate in the
Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance program, which focused on enhancing Lebanese
law enforcement capacity for border security, investigations, and leadership and management.
Lebanon has also received nearly US $37 million in State Department assistance to develop the
capacities of the ISF.
Countering Terrorist Finance: Lebanon is a member of the Middle East and North Africa
Financial Action Task Force, a Financial Action Task Force-style regional body. The Special
Investigation Commission (SIC), Lebanon’s financial intelligence unit, is an independent legal
entity empowered to investigate suspicious financial transactions and freeze assets. The SIC is a
member of the Egmont Group. Of the 136 suspicious transaction reports received by the SIC
between January and October 2012, it referred 29 cases to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
During the same period, the ISF received requests to investigate 16 money laundering and 26
terrorist finance cases, mostly from Interpol, and it has launched investigations into each
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