A Lebanese military prosecutor issued arrest warrants Tuesday accusing 10 jailed al-Qaida suspects of planning to carry out terrorist attacks, possessing illegal weapons and using forged identity cards, judicial officials said.
Military prosecutor Rashid Mizher also issued arrest warrants naming 10 other suspected al-Qaida members who are at large, the officials added.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, did not say when the 10 suspects were detained or give their nationalities.
Since last year's three-month battle between the Lebanese army and Muslim extremists in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared, dozens of people have been detained on suspicion of having ties to al-Qaida or the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam group that fought at Nahr el-Bared.
In June, Lebanese troops discovered three vehicles rigged with explosives during a raid on a hideout in eastern Lebanon. The two cars and a van were found near the town of Bar Elias in the Bekaa Valley a day after security forces captured three foreign militants in a nearby area.
Lebanon's official National News Agency said the 10 detained suspects were among 30 who were charged with joining an armed group with the aim of carrying out terrorist attacks, possessing weapons and explosives, forging identity cards and giving refuge to wanted criminals.
The officials said Mizher, the military prosecutor, will question the 10 with their lawyers present beginning next week
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