Assir was apprehended while attempting to travel with a fake Palestinian passport and a valid Nigerian visa at the Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport early Saturday, August 15, 2015 in Lebanon, according to a statement released by General Security, Lebanon’s security directorate.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports 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. The driver who drove Assir to the airport in a Mercedes Benz was later arrested.
According to investigations by Daily Trust, sources within Nigeria’s security circles availed that Assir, who was arrested in Beirut, was granted the visa by a Foreign Service official (name withheld) in Beirut based on the invitation by the said company.
It was gathered that the company, which is a popular middle eastern company (name withheld) operating in Nigeria actually sent the letter of invitation for the issuance of the visa while Al-Assir was said to have paid about $8,000 to obtain the visa, although the latter claim is yet to be verified.
Sources have also claimed that if a bribe that big was offered, then it is unlikely that the official who issued the visa was the sole beneficiary of such a huge sum.
A source also disclosed that intelligence of Al-Assir’s planned visit to Nigeria was leaked and given to Lebanese authorities by Hezbollah. Hezbollah is Lebanon’s Shia movement which backs Syria’s President Assad.
Al-Assir has 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.
According to reports, machine guns and rockets were used on the Lebanese troops by Assir’s men in fierce fighting which ended with at least 18 soldiers and 40 militants dead. Heavy weapons and military-style uniforms were discovered in Assir’s compound.
Speaking further, the source said that the lack of an active Foreign Service liaison with security and intelligence organization at the Nigeria embassy in Beirut hindered the direct sharing of such intelligence with Nigeria.It is widely believed that Al-Assir’s planned trip to Nigeria was in order for him to establish a direct link between Boko Haram and ISIS, as well as lend support to Boko Haram leaders
Boko Haram which has killed over 60,000 in Nigeria and displaced millions from their homes in North Eastern Nigeria had last year declared allegiance to ISIS. The group recently spread its operations to neighbouring countries
President Muhammadu Buhari promised to crush Boko Haram in two months after he took office in May. However, there has been no success story against the terrorist group since Buhari was sworn into office.
Security sources also emphasized the need for Nigeria to improve its foreign service liaison in Beirut and other embassies abroad ´so as to obtain vital intelligence of security concerns, because apparently non-existed,” especially as foreign service officials ought to liaise with intelligence and security organizations of host countries and share intelligence information in the tradition of “give and take.”
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