Assassination of Wissam al-Hassan

October 2012 Beirut bombing
Part of Syrian civil war spillover in Lebanon
LocationBeirut, Lebanon
Date19 October 2012
TargetWissam al-Hassan
Attack type
Car bomb
Deaths8[1]
Injured110[2]
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On 19 October 2012, Wissam al-Hassan, a brigadier general of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) and the head of its intelligence-oriented information branch, died along with several others killed by a car bomb in the Achrafieh district of Beirut.[2][3] The killing of a senior figure closely linked with the anti-Assad camp in Lebanon led to immediate speculation that Syria, or its allies, were behind the attack in Beirut. Al-Hassan had also led the investigation that implicated Syria and its ally Hezbollah in the killing of the former prime minister Rafik Hariri.[4]

According to a report in Der Spiegel, Hezbollah might have had a hand in the attack on al-Hassan since his cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal had made him a sworn enemy of the Party. The FBI noted similarities with the Hariri assassination, between the explosives used, planning and execution of the attack, and that they point to the same group of perpetrators.[5]

According to Lebanon's National News Agency, a total of eight died and 110 were injured in the explosion,[2][6] making it the deadliest bombing in Beirut since 2008.[1][7][8]

  1. ^ a b "Lebanese on Edge After Car Bomb". The Wall Street Journal. 20 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ a b c Walsh, Nick Paton; Jamjoom, Mohammed; Sterling, Joe (19 October 2012). "Anti-Syrian official killed when car bomb rocks Beirut". CNN. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  3. ^ Barnard, Anne (19 October 2012). "Bomb in Beirut Kills a Security Chief, Reviving Old Fears". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  4. ^ The Guardian, 19 October 2012
  5. ^ "Lebanon Tribunal May Investigate Recent Assassination". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  6. ^ Prothero, Mitchell; Beaumont, Peter (19 October 2012). "Anti-Syrian security official among dead in Beirut car bomb attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference TDS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference lwarj was invoked but never defined (see the help page).