Suspect in Al-Jadeed TV station attack accused of attempted murder

Wissam Alaaeddine – the man whose arrest prompted masked gunmen to close off several Beirut roads with burning tires last week – was accused Monday of attempted murder of individuals inside a local television station. Beirut Prosecutor Judge George Karam accused Alaaeddine as well as two other men who remain at large - Abdel-Aziz Qassem and Samih Ali Assi – of being involved in the attempted act of burning last week the Al-Jadeed station building in Beirut, shooting at it and the attempting to kill persons therein. The accusations were also leveled against any other persons that the investigation might identify as a perpetrator in the case. The three men are also suspected of being in possession of unlicensed weapons. Alaaeddine was apprehended last week in the attack by several armed gunmen on the premises of Al-Jadeed station building. Hours later, masked men closed several Beirut roads with burning tires in protest of Alaaeddine's arrest. Based on the country’s Penal Code, the suspects could face temporary hard labor if proven guilty. The case was transferred to Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat who began looking into the case and question Alaaeddine Tuesday.