Terror suspect still at large may be Hezbollah operative : Israeli news
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Sketch of terror suspect still at large in Bangkok bore great resemble to Hezbollah operative believed to be in charge of recruiting Hezbollah agents worldwide, an Israeli news online said Sunday.
Ynetnews identified the suspect as Naim Haris, as an accomplice of Swedish-Lebanese Hussein Atris, 47, who was detained at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday on suspicion of planning to blow up Israeli targets in Thailand and has link with Hezbollah militant group based in Lebanon.
The online said the composite portrait of the accomplice released by Thai police bore a great resemblance to Hezbollah operative Naim Haris.
“The latter's photo was unusually published last year, by the Shin Bet, which at the time identified him as an operative in charge of recruiting Hezbollah agents worldwide.”
It also reported that an examination of the passport, which was obtained by Ynet, revealed that Atris was born in southern Lebanon and married a Swedish woman in 1996. The marriage made him eligible for a Swedish passport, which he allegedly exploited for the benefit of Hezbollah's terrorism apparatus.
According to reports by Swedish media, Atris previously owned a hair saloon in Gothenburg, before returning to Lebanon more than 10 years ago. Moreover, one of his relatives, German resident Muhammad Atris, was involved in the past in the Iranian assassination of four Kurdish opposition figures in 1992.
“Iran is believed to have prepared a broad infrastructure for recruiting agents in Thailand by setting up schools, cultural and religious facilities for the benefit of the country's Muslim population. These institutions have been disseminating anti-Israeli and anti-American propaganda materials.
Iran and Hezbollah may have now chosen Thailand as the target for a terror attack against Israel, possibly to avenge the recent killings and blasts in Iran, or to take revenge for the assassination of Hezbollah's military chief Imad Mugniyah some four years ago, the online reported.
