Military personnel in armored vehicles on a street in Tripoli, North Lebanon, on the sidelines of a demonstration, April 28, 2020. (Credit: AFP/Ibrahim CHALHOUB/File)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army announced Wednesday that it arrested suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group, one of whom was preparing to commit a terrorist act.
The army did not specify where the arrest took place, the suspects' nationalities, or the target of the potential attack.
In a statement, the military said it arrested a man, A. K., who had traveled to Syria to join the IS and fight alongside its troops. The army said the suspect then infiltrated Lebanon and recruited individuals to the terrorist organization to fight in Syria or commit attacks in Lebanon.
The suspect also provided recruits with weapons and grenades.
The army announced it arrested several people who worked with the suspect, including a man, A. R., who was preparing to commit the terrorist attack. An investigation is continuing under the authority of the competent judicial authority.
In early September, the army arrested suspected members of a terrorist cell in the Western Bekaa.
The Islamic State and other jihadist groups were expelled from Lebanon during a 2017 offensive by the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah, but dormant cells of these groups remain in the country.
Authorities regularly announce arrests of suspected members of jihadist organizations.
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