Hezbollah member found guilty in Hariri killing
A member of Hezbollah was found guilty Tuesday (August 18) of conspiracy to kill the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
A U.N.-backed tribunal decided the main defendant, Salim Jamil Ayyash, was guilty beyond reasonable doubt of being part of the assassination team.
However, the Judges led by David Re, said they found no evidence that the leadership of Hezbollah or the Syrian government had played a part in the attack, which left 21 others dead.
"The trial chamber is of the view that Syria and Hezbollah may have had motives to eliminate Mr Hariri and some of his political allies, however, there is no evidence that the Hezbollah leadership had any involvement in Mr. Hariri's murder and there is no direct evidence of Syrian involvement in it."
Hezbollah denies any involvement in the bombing, which took place in February 2005.
Three other defendants - all alleged members of the Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group - were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
None of the defendants attended the tribunal.
The court said the intention of the attack on Hariri was to “spread fear amongst the Lebanese population”.
Tuesday's verdict comes in the aftermath of August 4th's enormous explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut that killed 178 and has left the country in economic and political turmoil.
