A Lebanese military judge on Tuesday indicted 31 Al-Qaida-linked suspects, including a Saudi national and four Syrians, on charges of plotting to carry out terror attacks in the country, officials said.Posted on 22 December 2007 @ 16:17 GMTJudge Rashid Mezher charged the so-called "Bar Elias terror network" of "plotting to carry out terrorist operations" in the eastern Christian city of Zahle, the state-run National News Agency reported.
It quoted the charge sheet as saying that as part of their plans the suspects were preparing to "fire rockets on Zahle".
The charge sheet identified the plot's mastermind as Saudi national Fahd Abdelaziz al-Ghames and said that the group, including four Syrian nationals, a Palestinian as well as a number of Lebanese, "is linked to Al-Qaida."
Most of them, including Ghames, have been arrested in various sweeps since June.
The NNA did not give further details nor did it say when a trial would start.
In June, Lebanese security forces dismantled bombs in three booby-trapped cars in the eastern village of Bar Elias, near Zahle, following confessions by two Syrians, an Iraqi and a Palestinian who were arrested for possessing weapons.