Advanced technology used in Harb assassination attempt

Advanced technology that has never before been used was employed in the assassination attempt against MP Butros Harb, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday. A security source told the newspaper that the explosive that was removed from the elevator shaft could have been placed in a manner that made it difficult to detect. Police found the device in the elevator shaft of the building that lies in Badaro district’s Sami Solh Street a few hours after the suspect carrying a knife was subdued but managed to escape along with two accomplices. The criminals were discovered before they could completely arm the device, which needed exact calculations in order to determine how much explosives were needed in order to kill the person in the elevator. Sources revealed to As Safir newspaper on Friday that the device was being prepared in a manner to make it seem that the victim would have been killed by electrical wire friction or possibly a malfunction in the elevator. “The investigations in the case are complicated and they will take time,” they emphasized. In addition, they stressed the importance of obtaining fingerprints at the scene. Other security sources revealed that residents in the area succeeded in identifying one of the perpetrators. Asked if the criminals had headed to Beirut’s southern suburbs, the sources replied: “The footage obtained by surveillance cameras will reveal the criminals’ exact destination.” They said that the cameras monitor “every inch” of the road leading to the building. Sources close to Harb told As Safir that the MP had received warnings that he may be the target of an assassination attempt, saying that he has since limited his mobility and changed his work routine. The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Friday that the case has been referred to the Internal Security Forces’ Intelligence Bureau, adding that ISF chief Ashraf Rifi had inspected the crime scene. Harb escaped the booby-trapped elevator when three people had claimed they were going to the building’s roof to fix an internet problem when a security guard and a doctor, who has a clinic in the building, felt suspicious and called security agencies to arrest them. Two of them escaped but the third clashed with the two witnesses, injuring them, the MP said.