Alawite Party Official Gunned Down in Lebanon
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A senior official in a Lebanese Alawite party supportive of the Syrian government was shot dead Thursday in the northern city of Tripoli, sparking clashes in which five people were wounded.
"Masked gunmen opened fire at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) on Abdelrahman Diab," a senior official in the Arab Democratic Party, as he drove through Tripoli, which sees frequent deadly clashes between supporters and opponents of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a security official told AFP.
He said hooded gunmen on a motorbike carried out the killing, shooting Diab in the head and stomach.
A party official confirmed the killing and said Diab was in charge of "military" affairs.
Diab, in his 50s, is the father of Youssef Diab, who has been detained by Lebanese authorities on suspicion of involvement in the twin bombings of a Tripoli mosque in August that killed 45 people.
