American universities have been operating Lebanese students in the CIA since 2008, Al-Akhbar revealed Friday.

American universities have been operating Lebanese students in the CIA since 2008, Al-Akhbar revealed Friday.

According to a report the Lebanese daily published, an American-Lebanese university club have decided a couple of years ago to gather Lebanese students from various states and offer them courses and volunteer work opportunities in the US Central Intelligence Agency under the slogan “providing jobs to Lebanese students in the United states”.

The paper pointed out that the Lebanese students would allow themselves to work for the CIA under the excuse that “I could work in the languages, Informatics, or engineering departments, and no one will accuse me of being an agent.  I am a regular employee in an American organization, no more no less…” and another excuse is: “the agency is not part of the American government… It does not promote the US policies… it rather offers variable job opportunities, so why not make use of that?”

Al-Akhbar reported that “Lebanese students carrying the American citizenship and studying in American universities have established and joined a “non-profit organization” called “Lebanese Collegiate Network” LCN.”

“This network, headed by Lebanese, aims at gathering the biggest number of student clubs with Lebanese members, and relating them to one network… the CIA have succeeded in joining 20 Lebanese clubs until today, and its main activities are organizing conferences, workshops, donation campaigns, and Dabkeh (Lebanese traditional dance) parties,” the paper added.

It further indicated that while the “Lebanese network claims that it is working for the benefit of the Lebanese students in the United States and for providing job opportunities to them,” out of the entire US job market, it merely chose to promote volunteering in the CIA.

In parallel, the paper clarified that “officials in the Lebanese network try to present the CIA as a “human rights” organization, ignoring its role in assassinations around the world, including Lebanon, and during the civil war in specific. This, in addition to its constant coordination with the Israeli intelligence on the information and services level.”