Lebanon Arrests Al-qaeda Militants In Italy Embassy Plot Probe

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon said it had discovered an Al-Qaeda network in the country and arrested its leader and a number of militants during an investigation into a thwarted attack on the Italian embassy in Beirut.
Interior Minister Elias Murr said Ismail Mohammed al-Khatib, "the head of a network linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist movement," had been arrested in the predominantly Sunni Muslim area of western Bekaa.
"It is the first time Lebanon has arrested an Al-Qaeda network."
Lebanese and Italian officials said extremists were planning to use a car packed with 300 kilograms (about 660 pounds) of explosives against the embassy but were foiled by a joint operation of Lebanese, Italian and Syrian intelligence services.
Italy's ANSA news agency said 10 people had been arrested, although Lebanese officials have not disclosed the number or nationality of the suspects.