The attack followed an interview on 24 June with a Salafist sheikh who incited sectarian anger in the country.
(Maharat/IFEX) – Beirut, June 26 2012 – Al-Jadeed Television’s headquarters in Beirut were attacked on June 25th at around 9:30 p.m by five masked gunmen who opened fire on the building and set fire to tires in the building entrance. The security personnel of the building, with the help of some men from the area, were able to arrest one of the attackers and handed him over to the security forces.
The security personnel of Al-Jadeed Television said that the attackers arrived at the station in two Jeeps, one silver and the other gold, and set fire to tires and threw them at entrance of the building, as they opened fire on the building.
The attack came after an interview on Sunday June 24th with Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir, a Salafist Imam, on Al-Hadath program, where he incited sectarian anger. This led the station to apologize in its main news bulletin for the incitement it had unintentionally provoked during the interview with Sheikh Al-Assir.
Maharat condemns the attack on Al-Jadeed Television and stresses the importance of protecting media institutions, particularly in light of the increasing number of attacks on journalists and media institutions lately, reflecting the heightened political tensions in the country. Maharat calls on the authorities to investigate this case and hold the attackers responsible, while noting that none of the circumstances of the recent attacks have been revealed to the public.
