Johnny Abdo Says Assad was Aware of Hariri's Murder Beforehand

Lebanon's former Intelligence Chief Johnny Abdo has publicly accused Syria's secret service apparatus and affiliated Lebanese security departments in President Lahoud's regime of assassinating ex-Premier Hariri, asserting that President Assad was aware of the murder beforehand. Abdo, who headed the army's intelligence apparatus during the 1976-1982 reign of the late President Elias Sarkis in the early years of the civil war, made the charge in an interview aired by Hariri's FUTURE-TV network Wednesday night. The accusation was highlighted by the Beirut press Thursday morning. Abdo, who served also as Lebanon's ambassador to France after the civil war and before his retirement, has singled out Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamadan, Lahoud's closest military aide who commands the army's presidential brigade, had set up with other officers a unit that long shadowed Hariri before the assassination. Hamdan, Abdo charged, was behind attempts to remove vital evidence from the assassination scene at the St. George beach resort in downtown Beirut, including cars wrecked by the one-ton bomb blast. He also attempted to clean up the location, Abdo said. "All this suggested that there were executing assassins and others trying to cover up," Abdo said. Asked by interviewer Ali Hamadeh whether he believed that Syrian President Bashar Assad was aware that these intelligence services have assassinated Hariri, Abdo said "yes The Presidential Palace on Thursday issued a statement denying Abdo's accusation to Hamdan, saying it was baseless.