Syria Broadcasts Terrorist ‘Confessions’
Syrian state television has aired a number of televised confessions from alleged members of Fatah al-Islam, a group that Lebanon has accused Syria of supporting violence against them. Fatah al-Islam has links to al-Qaeda. The confessions were regarding a car bombing in September that killed 17 people in Damascus.
These confessions have aroused suspicion for a number of reasons. The Syrian government has been accused by Lebanon of supporting the very group the confessions reveal have bombed Damascus to harm the Syrian government. Also, if this is evidence that Syria has not been supporting Fatah al-Islam, Syria will also be showing that it has the same interests as the West’s ‘war on terrorism,’ giving it more credibility against accusations of sponsoring terrorism.
The confessions state that the attack originated in Northern Lebanon and the attacker came from Saudi Arabia. The pro-west Sunni leader in Lebanon (Saad Hariri) has ties to Saudi Arabia, and many think this will strain their relationship. This also has broader implications, as Syria’s aired confessions are sure to strain their relations with Saudi Arabia as well. If the confessions are true, then Syria will look upon the Saudis with suspicion, and if they are false, the Saudis will surely be angered at the nature of the faked confessions.
It is unclear as to how these confessions were obtained.
Joshua Bark
