Telecoms data, IMSI given to Lebanese security services

All telecommunications data including IMSI that were requested by the security services to track down suspects in recent assassination attempts against March 14 officials are now in their hands, a security source said Friday. The source, who spoke to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity, said the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces received the data over the past 24 hours. IMSI, or International Mobile Subscriber Identity, is a number used for identifying a mobile subscriber. Earlier this month, MP Butros Harb said he survived an assassination attempt after two detonators were found on top of the elevator inside the Beirut building housing his office. In May, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea also said he survived an attempt on his life. The Future Movement-led March 14 coalition considers the Cabinet responsible for the assassination attempts because it had withheld telecommunications data necessary for security bodies to uncover such plots. On July 20, Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi said that the dispute over the telecoms data had been resolved after an agreement had been reached to provide all telecoms-related data to the security services. Qortbawi, however, said that the only exception would be IMSI, access to which would be restricted to requests for specific information. From: The Daily star