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Last update - 20:22 11/10/2007
Israeli in Lebanon under investigation in muder case and on espionage charges
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies

A dual citizen of Israel and Germany has been arrested in Lebanon on charges of espionage, a Lebanese judicial source said on Saturday.

Security officials said the man, Daniel Sharon, has been handed over to military intelligence for questioning.

According to Lebanese publication Al-Akhbar Wa-Sapir, Sharon was arrested on Thursday during an investigation into the murder of a Lebanese citizen.
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During questioning, it emerged that Sharon had visited Lebanon 11 times on his German passport over the last two years. He denied allegations he was on an espionage mission and said he was in Lebanon for leisure purposes, according to the source.

Media reports said that police in the Merje area, a hotbed of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement in Beirut's southern suburbs, were investigating the killing of Moussa al-Shalaani when the probe led them to Sharon.

Al-Shalaani had been shot with a gun belonging to a security officer who had been his roommate. The roommate was summoned for questioning, and maintained that he had lost his gun.

The roommate also said that during the time of the murder, he had been with his German friend who was residing at the Four Points Sheraton hotel in Beirut's luxurious Verdun neighbourhood. A hotel employee told the police that Sharon had paid him to not write his full name on any documents.

"His conflicting testimonies led the authorities to arrest him, and further investigations are underway in a murder case and espionage," the judicial source said.

"He is denying charges of espionage and insists that he is gay and he likes to have sexual relations with Lebanese men and that is why his visits to Lebanon were frequent," the source said.

"But further investigations into the case showed that Sharon had a friend in the Lebanese security offices who used to facilitate his entries to Lebanon and with the help of a hotel clerk he managed to hide his real name," the source added.

A Lebanese security agent was also held for questioning about his relations with the Israeli man after the two maintained contacts through the Internet, said officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Lebanon forbids any contacts or dealings with Israel.

Lebanon's General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza said investigations were underway into how the story was leaked to the press.

During questioning, it emerged that Sharon is well-versed regarding Lebanon, speaks Arabic well and knows how to use he language's many idioms. According to reports, Sharon learned Arabic in the United Arab Emirates from a teacher of Bahraini citizenship. The Lebanese media reported that Sharon kept his cool during questioning and denied accusations that he was a spy.

The media also reported that Sharon had visited Lebanon 11 times since 2005, once immediately prior to the Second Lebanon War with Israel last summer. His last visit was four days prior to his arrest, and he was scheduled to leave on the day of his arrest.

It later emerged that Sharon had sent his security officer friend on trips abroad on several occasions, and in exchange the man helped Sharon within Lebanon
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  1.   Hello, Hello whats this now 12:02  |  MA 22/09/07
  2.   Free pass for Jews 12:28  |  Natallie Durson 22/09/07
  3.   See if his movements 12:30  |  Chris Linthwaite 22/09/07
  4.   innocent until proven guilty? 12:40  |  abuali 22/09/07
  5.   Ghanem`s assassination 12:49  |  Dav 22/09/07
  6.   FREE HIM AND END THE BAN ON ISRAEL IN LEBANON 12:51  |  s 22/09/07
  7.   MA 12:59  |  cia 22/09/07
  8.   No peace and quiet around here.... 13:04  |  Esther 22/09/07
  9.   He Loves Lebanon 13:20  |  Mary 22/09/07
  10.   Loyalto towards whom? 13:22  |  Daniel 22/09/07
  11.   S 6 Israel moves freely though Lebanon any time it wants 13:40  |  Michael 22/09/07
  12.   Holiday In Beirut ! 13:59  |  nathan 22/09/07
  13.   To Natalie 14:04  |  Alex 22/09/07
  14.   To Chris 14:11  |  Alex 22/09/07
  15.   Nasrallah 14:11  |  Nadim Jeb 22/09/07
  16.   daniel 14:15  |  realism 22/09/07
  17.   "Natallie Durson", Los Angeles, California 14:19  |  John Stewart 22/09/07
  18.   Is Israel behind recent political murders in Lebanon!! 14:42  |  Moise 22/09/07
  19.   Here is our suspect... 14:45  |  mich 22/09/07
  20.   German-Israeli citizen? 14:45  |  mu 22/09/07
  21.   German-Israeli citizen? 14:47  |  Murray of Montreal 22/09/07
  22.   Beirut is gorgeous 14:54  |  Israeli 22/09/07
  23.   Anti-Semetism 14:56  |  Tony Simmons 22/09/07
  24.   He is a Mosad agent with a recruitment mission 15:23  |  Lebanese 22/09/07
  25.   IT PROVES ISRAEL BEHIND LEBANON ASSASSINATIONS 15:28  |  ME Observer 22/09/07
  26.   maybe he loves life 15:29  |  hmm 22/09/07
  27.   Is this a joke? 15:36  |  Ian Robertson 22/09/07
  28.   Daniel Sharon 15:39  |  Thank you Mich 22/09/07
  29.   ANTI_SIMMONSISM 15:40  |  Brant 22/09/07
  30.   spy arrested in beirut 15:41  |  J. B. 22/09/07
  31.   #15 nadin web 15:45  |  J. B. 22/09/07
  32.   Chris L, now you are a Rabbi!? 15:52  |  Maven 22/09/07
  33.   Spy 15:57  |  Matthew 22/09/07
  34.   He is not German... his passport is fake 16:02  |  TrippleJump 22/09/07
  35.   leb 16:04  |  louis 22/09/07
  36.   Sure, because spies have to pay hotel clerks to hide their names! 16:05  |  McQueen 22/09/07
  37.   Any Spy named Sharon would be an idiot going to Lebanon!!! 16:10  |  Ronnie Wolman 22/09/07
  38.   no doubt woody allen is involved ! 16:14  |  victor hardman 22/09/07
  39.   Is this a joke? 16:22  |  Palestinian Brit 22/09/07
  40.   Being Jewish is enough....32 16:25  |  Palestinian Brit 22/09/07
  41.   To Natallie Durson # 2 16:36  |  Natasha 22/09/07
  42.   Matthew...you are the bigot 16:43  |  Riad Elsolh Hamad 22/09/07
  43.   #32 Maven 16:55  |  chris Linthwaite 22/09/07
  44.   The gay spy 16:56  |  Major R 22/09/07
  45.   How did the press get this info? 17:07  |  Mary 22/09/07
  46.   To Thank you Mich # 28 - Daniel Sharon 17:09  |  Dagma 22/09/07
  47.   Sharon was born in 1975 17:15  |  Karim Haddad 22/09/07
  48.   FREE HIM FOR KUNTAR!!!!! 17:16  |  ALEX 22/09/07
  49.   FREE HIM FOR KUNTAR!!!!! 17:16  |  ALEX 22/09/07
  50.   # 33 Mathew 17:17  |  Lebanese 22/09/07
  51.   all the crimes lead to Tel aviv !! 17:28  |  Moise 22/09/07
  52.   I feel sorry for this guy 17:32  |  Neddy 22/09/07
  53.   #26 hmm "maybe he loves life" 17:44  |  Dav 22/09/07
  54.   Murray is Right-Mossad Undercover Don`t Carry Israeli Passports 17:44  |  Michael 22/09/07
  55.   Chris Linthwaite 17:54  |  ChanahS 22/09/07
  56.   Bad Move 17:58  |  ? 22/09/07
  57.   Pity the fool and pardon my sarcasm 18:13  |  Nizo the Palestinian 22/09/07
  58.   Lebanon gay capital of the world? 18:25  |  gayman 22/09/07
  59.   Michael 18:29  |  Israeli 22/09/07
  60.   It needs alot to send a SHARON to a arab country 18:43  |  Arie 22/09/07
  61.   Back to Germany 18:44  |  Lebanese 22/09/07
  62.   This guy is in trouble 18:52  |  PS 22/09/07
  63.   To All You Knuckleheads 19:01  |  Eli 22/09/07
  64.   cia 19:21  |  MA 22/09/07
  65.   I`m not so sure 19:33  |  Ben Alofs 22/09/07
  66.   German JEW! 19:40  |  Kapo 22/09/07
  67.   When in Beirut be sure to visit Beit al-Anqabut 19:53  |  Ben Alofs 22/09/07
  68.   #63 eli 20:09  |  wh 22/09/07
  69.   Nasrallah 20:17  |  S.S. 22/09/07
  70.   # 67 Kapo 20:26  |  Lebanese 22/09/07
  71.   I`m lebanese and I must admit, my people are animals 21:08  |  True Lebanese 22/09/07
  72.   #1, MA 21:13  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/09/07
  73.   #63 Eli of California 21:31  |  Chris Linthwaite 22/09/07
  74.   Definitely a Spy 21:35  |  Dan 22/09/07
  75.   Ben Alofs lives in a world of denial 22:08  |  Danite 22/09/07
  76.   #61, yeh maybe you need to get a better job 22:18  |  Israeli 22/09/07
  77.   #67 they used to have a much better one in Baalbeck 22:24  |  Danny - Israeli one 22/09/07
  78.   Moise 22:32  |  Connie 22/09/07
  79.   To #71 True Lebanese 22:39  |  Real Lebanese 22/09/07
  80.   #11 Michael - They did the right thing 22:45  |  Yonatan 22/09/07
  81.   abuali #4 22:47  |  Veritas 22/09/07
  82.   True Lebanese/Jew 22:52  |  Walid