Lebanon charges 10 Fatah al-Islam members

Lebanese military investigative judge charged 10 individuals from the al-Qaida inspired Fatah al-Islam militant group, the country's official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

The judge Sakr Sakr accused Tuesday the suspects, three Lebanese and seven Palestinians, of spying on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), manufacturing and possessing explosives and weapons, forging identification papers and forming an armed group to perform terrorist acts.

The suspects were referred to the first investigative military Judge Fadi Sawwan for further investigation, which would take place Thursday.

Fatah al-Islam, led by a fugitive militant named Shaker al-Abssi, is a radical Islamist group that draws inspiration from al-Qaida, which became known in 2007 after engaging in combat against the Lebanese Army in the Nahr Al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in the north of Lebanon. The combat killed more than 400 people, including soldiers, militants and civilians.

Lebanese government officials also believe that it has ties to Syrian intelligence.

Source: Xinhua