Lebanon’s Judicial Council sentenced 23 people to death Friday over their involvement in the 2007 Fatah al-Islam attacks on the Army.

Lebanon’s Judicial Council sentenced 23 people to death Friday over their involvement in the 2007 Fatah al-Islam attacks on the Army, a judicial source said.

The 23 convicts were identified as: Mahmoud Mansour, Bilal al-Khodor, Ali Mustapha, Abdel-Aziz al-Masri, Ahmad Shawat, Bilal Badr, Mohammad Qaddour, Abdel-Karim al-Batal, Mohammad Mustapha, Wafiq Aql, Youssef Khalil, Youssef Shedid, Ibrahim al-Tarman, Moussa al-Amleh, Mahmoud Basyouni, Raafat Khalil, Nader Halwani, Ahmad al-Daqs, Haitham Mustapha, Shadi Makkawi, Adel Ouwayed, Ali Ibrahim and Dahham Ibrahim.

The source added that three other terrorists were included in the Judiciary decision, one of them, Rafat Khalil, was sentenced to 15-year hard labor, the second, Khodor Merhi, was sentenced to seven years in prison, while the other, Fadi Ibrahim, was found innocent and released from custody.

The Judicial Council has proofs that the defendants belong to Fatah al-Islam, and sought different ways to support the group and achieve its objectives.

"They also sought to create a destabilized security ground in Lebanon, through acts of terrorism, bombings, killings, looting and other crimes, in order to weaken the Lebanese state and to erode trust in its institutions, led by the Lebanese army, as a prelude to establish a takfiri radical emirate firstly in North Lebanon firstly, before being extended to all Lebanese regions," the Judicial council said in a statement.

The convicted terrorists were involved as well in fighting the Lebanese army and internal security forces, whether by firing shots and rockets, or by using explosives.

"Those acts left number of military personnel martyred and several others killed, in addition to  the destruction of Lebanese army facilities, in whole or in part, with their knowledge they belong to others. They also deliberately sabotaged and destructed military cars and vehicles by firing shots and rocket-propelled grenades at them," the statement added.

However, Khodor Merhi was convicted of smuggling the terrorist Abu Ahmad Al-Iraqi, and of monitoring some banks and financial institutions in Tripoli city in order to steal them and buy weapons and rent apartments. He also possessed unauthorized weapon.

The terrorist Ali Ibrahim was convicted of providing militants of Fatah al-Islam with food in his parents' house. He transported aluminum powder to his apartment after an army raid, with the knowledge that it is used for manufacturing explosives.

Moreover, the terrorist Daham Al-Ibrahim was convicted of communicating with Fatah al-Islam terrorist group, and of offering them help, in order to contribute to the criminal and terrorist activity.