Bank owner Kheireddine bodyguards confess to attacking Zbeeb
- Security forces arrested 3 men suspected of attacking journalist Mohammad Zbeeb on February 12 in Hamra Street. According to Al-Akhbar newspaper, the detainees confessed they were bodyguards of the Chairman and General Manager of Al-Mawarid Bank, Former Minister Marwan Kheireddine. The 3 men claimed that Kheireddine had nothing to do with the attack, and that they committed it on their own "because Zbeeb always attacks the chief."
- Kheiredine exonerated himself once again on Twitter claiming that he was the one to "turn in the suspects" in order to let justice take its course.
March and protests in Tripoli
- A march in Tripoli took off from the Central Bank as protesters walked through the city to denounce the financial policies of Hassan Diab's government. Protesters also gathered at the Judicial Palace in the city, demanding the release of detained protesters.
IMF team arrives to Lebanon
- The team representing the International Monetary Fund met today with government representatives during a visit to Lebanon that started on Thursday and will last until Sunday. The IMF team aims to provide technical advice to the government. Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni announced that the Fund will give its input on the current situation and on financial, economic, and reform measures that Lebanon needs.
Clashes between FPM and PSP supporters
- Hamra street was the site of a clash between supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), during a protest organized by the FPM in front of the Central Bank, to demand information on "what happened to the money smuggled [out of Lebanon].”
- Security forces contained the clash between supporters of the two parties. PSP supporters had also stood across from the Central Bank after news circulated that FPM supporters were planning to head to Walid Jumblatt residence in Clemenceau.
- Speaking to supporters, from his house, Jumblatt considered that what happened was a provocation and a counter provocation, asserting that he was "under the protection of the army and security forces" and that he wasn't in danger. The FPM released a statement describing its protest as civilized and that "the only provocation the FPM supporters committed was against the owners of the smuggled money."
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