Lebanon arrests Israeli for murder, espionage - Haaretz

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Mon., September 24, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 02:03 (EST+7)

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Last update - 02:28 23/09/2007

Lebanon arrests Israeli for murder, espionage

By Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies , By Yoav Stern

A dual citizen of Israel and Germany has been arrested in Lebanon on charges of espionage, a Lebanese judicial source said yesterday. 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 as part of an investigation into the murder of a Lebanese citizen. During questioning, it emerged that Sharon had visited Lebanon 11 times on his German passport over the last two years. He denied allegations that he was on an espionage mission and said he was in Lebanon for leisure purposes, according to the source.

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Media reports said that police in the Merje area, a hotbed of the Lebanese Shi'ite 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 he had lost his gun. The roommate also said that at the time of the murder, he had been with a German friend, who was staying at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Beirut's luxurious Verdun neighborhood. A hotel employee told the police that Sharon had paid him not to 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 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," the source added.

A Lebanese security agent was also held for questioning about his relations with Sharon after the two maintained contacts online, said officials.

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

During questioning, it emerged that Sharon is well-versed regarding Lebanon, and speaks Arabic well. According to reports, Sharon learned Arabic in the United Arab Emirates. The Lebanese media reported 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. His last visit began four days prior to his arrest, and he was scheduled to leave on the day of his arrest. Sharon had sent his security-officer friend on trips abroad on several occasions, and in exchange the man had helped Sharon within Lebanon.

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