The Intelligence Branch in the Internal Security Forces arrested former Minister and MP Michel Samaha on Thursday morning.

The Intelligence Branch in the Internal Security Forces arrested former Minister and MP Michel Samaha on Thursday morning.

Early on Thursday, the Intelligence branch forces raided Samaha’s houses in Beirut’s Ashrafiyeh district and the North Metn town of Jwar al-Khensahara.

His wife said that the former minister was still in bed when the security forces dragged him out and forced him into one of four vehicles waiting outside his Jwar al-Khenshara house.
The security forces took a computer and several items from both houses.

Reports over the reason of the arrest were controversial.
Media reported first that the former minister was arrested over charges of collaborating with the Zionist entity.

However Al-Manar correspondent cited many judicial sources as confirming that and the arrest had no relation with these charges which described as baseless.

She said that till now nothing was confirmed regarding the arrest reasons, but said that officials have been saying that Samaha was arrested for security reasons.

The correspondent said the security forces later on arrested the former minister’s driver, as they seized his car.
For its part, Local television, MTV claimed that Samaha’s arrest was “linked to assassination attempt against al-Mustaqbal bloc’s Akkar MP Khaled al-Daher to create civil strife.”