The UN-backed Lebanon tribunal on Friday released the names
of four men wanted for the killing in 2005 of Lebanese prime minister
Rafik Hariri.
Pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen ordered the lifting
of confidentiality on the full names, aliases, biographical information,
photographs and charges against the individuals named in the
indictment, the tribunal said in a statement.
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four men named in the indictment are Salim Jamil Ayyash, Mustafa Amine
Badreddine, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra, the tribunal
said.
The indictments were issued late last month but the
identities of the accused were kept secret for a short period in order
to allow the Lebanese government to investigate and arrest them.
The names released on Friday matched those reported by Beirut’s
Daily Star newspaper upon the original issuing of the indictments last month.
All four of the suspects are linked to Hezbollah.
Interpol
issued “red notices”
for the four suspects earlier this month. The notices, which are not
international arrest warrants, are a request that the wanted person be
arrested with a view to extradition. The four Lebanese men who were
named in an STL indictment last week are wanted for trial in the
Netherlands, where the STL sits.
The Hezbollah-led Lebanese
government has not made any arrests as a result of the indictments.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly said the UN-backed
Lebanon tribunal is under the influence of Israel and the US.
"The
Prosecutor submits that making the requested information available in
public fora may increase the likelihood of apprehending the accused in
the event that any of them are noticed by the public," the tribunal said
in Friday's statement.