Syrian activist freed in Beirut after several-day detention

Lebanese authorities have released a Syrian dissident who was arrested on the weekend upon his arrival from Egypt, Syrian activists said. "Zakaria Mutlak was released this evening," Beirut-based Syrian activist Kinan Ali told Agence France Presse, without elaborating. Earlier on Wednesday, Ali said Mutlak was arrested at the Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport on July 8 as he stepped off a flight from Cairo. "Mutlak was also one of the first activists to be detained in Syria when the revolt broke out," Ali said, adding that "he was forced to go on television in May last year and 'confess' that he was dealing with 'armed terrorists'." Speaking to AFP, a security source confirmed the detention of Mutlak. "He was wanted by Lebanon's military," the General Security source told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that a request had been put to all security agencies to cooperate in his detention. "I don't know why he has been detained," the source said, adding that Mutlak was handed over to the military. Syrian authorities arrested Mutlak in the early days of the uprising that erupted in March last year but later released him, Ali said. Earlier this year Mutlak was in the Homs city rebel stronghold of Baba Amr, which government troops pounded relentlessly for a month until seizing control of the neighborhood in March. "He left Syria around five months ago, after being wounded in Baba Amr," and traveled to Saudi Arabia for treatment before heading out to Egypt, Ali said. The Syrian League for Human Rights issued a statement on Wednesday condemning Mutlak's arrest and expressing "deep concern" that Lebanese authorities could deport him to Syria.