'Lebanese general faces spy charges'

Report: Christian politician could face death penalty if convicted.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
A masked Lebanese police officer shows a device us (photo credit: AP)
A masked Lebanese police officer shows a device us
(photo credit: AP)
A former Lebanese army general and Christian party member has been charged by a Lebanese military prosecutor with spying for Israel, according to a Reuters report.
According to the report, Fayez Karam was a member of the Free Patriotic Movement, headed by Michel Aoun, and was the first politician to be charged in a string of espionage cases that have recently hit Lebanon.
RELATED:Report: Lebanese spy suspect arrestedLebanon arrests alleged German spyFourth 'spy' found in Majdal ShamsKaram's charge sheet said he was accused of dealing with "the enemy's intelligence and meeting their officers abroad, and giving them information by phone" and providing information about the Free Patriotic Movement, Hizbullah and other groups to Israel. He is alleged to have received weapons and money for the intelligence he provided.
Karam will face the death penalty if convicted.
He was arrested by the Lebanese intelligence directorate two weeks ago, according to an Al Akhbar newspaper report last Tuesday.
Lebanon's Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar has said that his ministry had collected 150 cases of spying for Israel and was planning to raise the issue with the UN Security Council.
“The list cites some 150 cases which the law has managed to put its hand on, [including people] of all communities and denominations,” Najjar told the London-based Arab daily al- Hayat, adding that it included findings that were “hardly believable.”