Region | Lebanon
Lebanon pledges to fight 'empire of death and terror'
Lebanon's senior security chief on Saturday vowed to fight what he called "the empire of terror" as angry mourners vowed revenge at the funeral of a top intelligence officer killed in a car bombing.
- Agencies
- Published: 22:18 January 26, 2008
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Beirut: Lebanon's senior security chief on Saturday vowed to fight what he called "the empire of terror" as angry mourners vowed revenge at the funeral of a top intelligence officer killed in a car bombing.
Friday's murders of Captain Wissam Eid, his bodyguard Osama Mereb and three civilians triggered local and international condemnation and were seen as a new attempt to derail stability in a country paralysed by political crisis.
"We are determined to confront the empire of death and terror," Internal Security Forces chief Brigadier General Ashraf Rifi said at a ceremony at ISF headquarters in Beirut before the funeral.
He paid tribute to Eid and Mereb, calling them "heroes and martyrs," and pledged that the ISF "will continue to confront those who have decided to terrorise the nation."
Anger at Eid funeral
Rifi hailed Eid for "contributing to developing the intelligence services".
Eid, 31, was Lebanon's top anti-terrorism investigator and was involved in probes related to a spate of killings in recent years of mainly anti-Syrian politicians and figures, including former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora declared a national day of mourning for Eid and other victims.
Mourners, may of whom waved the flag of the "Future" bloc, carried Eid's coffin to his family home in the northern town of Deir Ammar. Women threw rice and flowers at the coffin, which his weeping mother kissed repeatedly.
"This is the third time that they tried to kill him. He was very kind, he had an important position, but to me he will always be a child," Eid's mother said earlier. Mourners cheered as the coffin was carried to a municipality building in Deir Ammar
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