Majed must be tried in Lebanon: Families of victims

The families of the victims of the Iranian Embassy bombings in Beirut say they want the arrested Saudi leader of an al-Qaeda-linked militant group behind the terrorist attack to stand trial in Lebanon.

The families of the victims said in a Friday statement that “this Saudi criminal should be tried in Lebanon where he committed his grisly crimes.”

They also praised Lebanese security forces for identifying and capturing Majed al-Majed, the Saudi commander of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, which operates throughout the Middle East.

Earlier in the day, the Lebanese army confirmed the identity of Majed al-Majed, whose arrest was announced by the Lebanese LBCI television on Tuesday, about a week after his capture in the Lebanese capital.

The Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Saeed Asiri, had previously said that Lebanon should extradite Majed to the kingdom in case his identity is confirmed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that a team will be sent to Lebanon to take part in Majed’s interrogation.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the twin bombings that killed 25 people and wounded over 150 others outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut on November 19, 2013.

Iran’s Cultural Attaché to Beirut Hojjatoleslam Ebrahim Ansari and the wife of another Iranian diplomat were among those killed.

Majed, a high-profile terrorist wanted by the United States and other countries, had earlier traveled to Syria to pledge allegiance to the notorious al-Nusra Front, which is fighting against the Syrian government.