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ARRESTED: ISIS Cleric, Ahmed Al
Assir
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The Federal Government
has ordered a full investigation into how a wanted terrorist was granted
Nigerian visa in Lebanon to visit the country. An official of the Nigerian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Vanguard
in Abuja, yesterday, that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs to investigate the circumstances surrounding the issuance of
Nigerian visa to the wanted terrorist who has been on the wanted list of
several governments.
It will be recalled that
a radical Muslim cleric, Ahmad al-Assir, was arrested by Lebanese authorities
as he attempted to leave Lebanon for Nigeria via Cairo.
He was said to have been
arrested while attempting to travel with a fake Palestinian passport with a
valid Nigerian visa at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday,
August 15, 2015 in Lebanon.
Vanguard report
continues:
According to the official
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity, the ministry
has been directed to explain how the wanted terrorist was able to get Nigerian
visa.
“The reported arrest of
the wanted terrorist is a huge embarrassment to Nigeria and the president has
directed that the matter should be investigated.
The embassy in Lebanon
has been directed to furnish the ministry with details of how the man got the
visa. The National Intelligence Agency Officer has been directed to provide
details of what happened,” the official said.
The official added that
Nigerian embassies around the world keep a tab on wanted persons in their
countries of accreditation and “we are amazed that such a high profile
terrorist would evade our radar. This is a major breach that cannot be allowed
to go without investigation.
“This is more so that the
Boko Haram sect has pledged allegiance to Islamic State terrorists. There is no
way our embassy officials will allow such laxity in their areas of operation.
The president is justifiably furious about it,” the source added.
It will be recalled that
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Assir, who was
travelling with another man, was holding a fake passport in the name of Rami
Abdul Rahman Taleb, while his companion was holding a passport in the name of
Khaled Sidani.
He was reported to have
shaved off his iconic beard and under gone facial surgery to conceal his
identity but was identified by eagle eyed Lebanese security operatives.
Sheikh Assir has been on
the run for two years, having been declared wanted in Lebanon in 2013 when his
followers clashed with the Lebanese army, killing at least 18 soldiers.
He gained notoriety as “a
self-proclaimed defender of Sunni rights” due to his fiery anti-Hezbollah
rhetoric and had reportedly been recruiting his followers to join the Islamic
State terrorist group (ISIS) in Syria fighting against Assad’s government.
Violence broke out in 2013
when one of Assir’s men was caught with unlicensed weapons in his car at a
military checkpoint in Sidon, south of Beirut. In reaction, Assir’s followers
opened fire on the soldiers manning the checkpoint sparking a two-day battle
between his militants and the army.
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