Peter FitzGerald

“ Hemadeh’s life sent shock waves throughout Lebanon and added to the ongoing polarization. The perpetrators of the assassination attempt were not identified, and a general feeling prevailed that they would not be. A loaded atmosphere dominated the Lebanese scene in which "everyone was under threat", as many security officials told the Mission. A wide range of people, inside and outside Lebanon, told the Mission that Mr. Hariri and Mr. Jumblatt had feared for their lives and saw the attempt on Mr. Hemadeh’s life as a part of the ongoing power struggle with the Syrian leadership. ”

“ Almost without exception, all those who spoke to the Mission, including some security officials, expressed doubts about the capacity and/or the will of the security agencies to provide security to political figures under threat. While some accused the security apparatus of outright involvement in threatening politicians, others said that the dominant culture was one in which politicians were expected to protect themselves by their own means or where, at best, the security agencies did not have enough clout to protect the threatened. ”

“ The Mission can say with certainty that parts of a truck were brought to the scene of the explosion by a member of the security forces some time after the assassination and were placed in the crater and subsequently photographed in the crater by members of the security forces, thus creating serious suspicion and doubt about the actual involvement of this truck in the assassination and seriously damaging the credibility of the main line of investigation. ”

“ Those responsible for the mismanagement should be held accountable.
Broadcast on the Al-Jazeera television network 37. At approximately 1330 hours on 14 February 2005, the director and senior presenter at Al-Jazeera TV, Beirut, received a telephone call from a man whom he described as having spoken, poor Arabic or as having just pretended to speak poor Arabic. The caller stated that "the Nasra and Jihad Group in Greater Syria claims responsibility for the execution of the agent Rafik Hariri, in the name of the oppressed, the Nasra and the Jihad". ”

“ To carry out such an investigation, there would be need for a self-sufficient team, comprising the different fields of expertise that are usually involved in carrying out similarly large investigations in national systems, with the necessary support staff and resources, and knowledge of the legal and other systems involved. Such a team would need an executive authority to carry out interrogations, searches and other relevant tasks. The team could be assisted and advised by Lebanese legal resources without prejudice to its independence. ”

“ Many suggested that international supervision of the elections would be necessary to ensure their fairness. They pointed out that a credible election would contribute to stabilizing the political situation. ”

“ Many of the indicators pointing to a subterranean explosion, such as the fragments of, inter alia, the road asphalt and manholes, found in upper floors of the Hotel St Georges, the impact on the vehicle roofs, and the damage to upper floors in the adjacent buildings, are not inconsistent with a surface large explosion. ”

“ Hariri. The Mission also accepts the theory of this truck having been involved in the assassination as a credible one, requiring full and extensive investigation. The Lebanese security forces have recovered small parts of a Mitsubishi truck from the crater, and from the surrounding area of the explosion. They have recovered parts of a Mitsubishi truck from the sea adjacent to the explosion. The Mission recovered a piece of metal from the crater resembling metal used in truck parts and bearing evidence that supports the theory of a surface/overground explosion. ”

“ At the moment of his assassination, Mr. Hariri’s protection was ensured almost entirely by his private security team.
21. When the Mission discussed this aspect with Lebanese security officials, many of them argued that "prevention" was an alien concept to the security management in Lebanon. This argument is inadmissible: prevention is an integral and important part of any functioning security system. ”

“ Abu Adas did not have Internet access from his home and could not have accessed the suggested sites from his personal computer. Enquiries carried out by the Mission indicate that the investigating security forces did not canvass or carry out enquiries at local cybercafes with a view to determining the origin of the alleged data located on the computer of Mr. Abu Adas;
(b) There is little evidence to support the theory that Mr. Abu Adas had militant/extremist tendencies ”

“ The upcoming legislative elections were widely seen as a turning point and it became apparent to all that the parties were preparing for a final showdown. Until the extension for Mr. Lahoud, the opposition was mainly composed of Christian politicians and groups. ”