Military Investigative Judge Fadi Sawwan issued four arrest warrants in absentia Monday for suspects involved in the east Lebanon incident that left two soldiers dead.
Judicial sources told The Daily Star that the arrest warrants came after Sawwan interrogated a suspect who turned himself in to authorities. He was identified by his last name as al-Hujeiri.
The sources added lawyer Tareq Shandab who is representing a number of the suspects Monday asked the judiciary to remove the names of his defendants from a list of individuals wanted by the Army intelligence so that they could turn themselves in.
The Army Intelligence has issued a list of names suspected of involvement in the bloody incident which was later circulated to military personnel.
Earlier this month, Sawwan issued arrest warrants for Mustafa Ali al-Hujairi and Hasan Mohammad al-Hujairi.
Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr has charged 34 people over the Arsal incident which led to the death of Capt. Pierre Bashalani, 31, and Sgt. Ibrahim Zahraman, 32.
The men are charged with the killing of the Army soldiers, burning and disabling military vehicles, as well as damaging both public and private property.
On Feb.1, the military said two soldiers were killed in an ambush by gunmen on the outskirts of Arsal when an Army unit was in pursuit of a wanted Lebanese man – Khaled Hmayyed – who was killed in the incident.
