Poster is not responsible for the Major Headline outside this page…..Court Clears 2 Lebanese, Finds 1 Guilty............. The three Lebanese suspects....... Reuters
ABUJA November 29, 2013A Nigerian
court handed a life sentence for illegal arms trafficking and
possession on Friday to a Lebanese man suspected of having links with
Hezbollah, but it freed another two Lebanese suspects in the case.
Judge
Adeniyi Ademola struck out all terrorism charges against the men on
lack of evidence, noting that being a member of Hezbollah was not enough
to be so accused. "Hezbollah is not an international terrorist
organisation in Nigeria. There is no evidence that the ... accused
received training in preparation for terrorist acts," as the prosecution
alleged, he said.
Secret service agents arrested Mustapha Fawaz,
Abdullah Tahini, Talal Ahmad Roda and Hussain Nurudeen Kossdi between
May 16 and May 28.
They suspected them of being members of the
Lebanon-based Shi'ite Muslim organisation, after a raid on a residence
linked to Roda in the main northern city of Kano uncovered anti-tank
weapons, landmines, heavy artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and
automatic rifles.
Authorities said the weapons were to be used in attacks on American and Israeli targets.
Kossdi was later freed for lack of evidence.
Judge
Ademola gave Roda a mandatory life sentence for unlawful possession and
importation of firearms, but the others were cleared on lack of
evidence of any links to the weapons.
Speaking outside the court, Mustapha Fawaz told reporters he felt vindicated. "We have lived in Nigeria for most of our lives ... We have invested so much in Nigeria,"
he said. "Anybody who invests billions of naira (hundreds of thousands
of dollars) in a place will not be interested in destroying it."
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