While the President of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, was preparing on December 14, 2023, to leave his residence in Ain Tineh to head to the Parliament in downtown Beirut for the legislative session, the security measures taken by the Parliament Police, or "the President's Guard" as this unit is called, were at their peak. This led to the arrest of two individuals who were handed over to the Information Branch for interrogation. What are the details?
This morning, the newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that one citizen had been under investigation by the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces for about two weeks after being arrested by elements of the President's Guard, who became suspicious of him while he was filming surrounding streets near the office of President Nabih Berri in Ain Tineh, Beirut. He possessed a highly advanced electronic device, and his phone contained dozens of videos indicating a complete mapping of the area.
Media sources reported that two individuals were arrested that day; the first, referred to as M.S.H, is from the Western Beqaa region and lives near Ain Tineh in the Al-Khayyat neighborhood, and the second, R.S, is from the Mazraa area and lives in Ras Al-Nabaa. Sources indicate that the incident began with R.S, who was alone.
The young man R.S was driving a Nissan "Jardounia" vehicle and was filming the entrances to the second presidential palace from the Ferdan side when he was spotted by the attentive Parliament Police due to Berri's imminent movement from the residence. When he continued his actions, a patrol approached and detained him. The young man was alone and had filming equipment, two phones, a GPS device, and another advanced device whose nature is currently unknown and is now with the Information Branch for examination. When asked what he was doing, he stated that he worked for a company serving "Touch," but he did not have any identification proving his claims. He soon stated that he lacked sufficient details and that he worked for M.S.H, who was not present with him. Sources revealed that the Parliament Police successfully lured the "manager" and arrested him along with the driver for interrogation, before handing them over to the Information Branch.
During the initial questioning, the detainees claimed to be working for an American company filming for "Google." The manager later stated that he owned a "computer" company close to his residence and that those who perform this work usually obtain a special permit from the Ministry of Interior. M.H confirmed that he had contacted one of the Colonels to submit the request and obtain permission but had not succeeded yet. Following this, the Information Branch discovered that his company was officially linked to a foreign company working with Google, which had connections or relations with Israel.
On the afternoon of Thursday, December 14, the two suspects were handed over to the Information Branch, which began its investigations; both M.H and the other young man R.S remain under detention. It is noted that the signs of involvement in suspicious activities are stronger concerning the first individual than the second, who was driving the car.
The detainee may or may not be aware of their involvement in espionage activities, and the matter is left for investigations and judiciary proceedings. However, according to sources, the Ain Tineh headquarters is a targeted location, and this is not new. Since 2014 and even before and after, groups tasked with monitoring the headquarters, assassinating the Speaker, or bombing celebrations held by the Amal Movement at the UNESCO Palace have been arrested. Today, with the onset of the battle in the south and the entry of security operations into the field, the President's Security apparatus has intensified its security measures, as Berri is one of the figures playing a significant role regionally and is consistently targeted due to this role. The high-level security efficiency of the Parliament Police and other security and military forces will continue to protect Lebanon from any destructive schemes.
