Assir Unveils Journey from Insurgency to Captivity

Detained Sunni Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir confessed that he had moved to the North following Abra’s bloody events. He recalls his wife putting him in the car trunk and driving him to the house of the Muslim Scholars Panel Chief, Sheikh Salem al-Rifai.

According to al-Akhbar daily, he was hosted by the Rifais for an entire week before finalizing arrangements to stay at Sheikh Khaled Hoblos' residence.

He remained there for a couple of weeks, cashing in a large sum of money during his stay.

The security operation in the North prompted Al-Assir’s return to Sidon. He admitted to have been in hiding over time in Ain el-Helweh camp, only to leave later for security reasons.

After unsuccessful attempts to join the Syrian border front, mainly in Arsal, he decided to travel to Turkey on another failed mission to enlist in the Syrian opposition.

Sources attributed these futile smuggling endeavors to his weakened ties and coordination with other groups.

After making contact with friends affiliated with Boko Haram, he decided to travel to Nigeria.

Al-Assir is said to have left the camp 12 days ago, heading to al-Hasba on foot. He stayed in one of the houses there for a couple of days before being transferred to Jadra.

At his last stop, he decided to take a cab to the airport. Indeed, he marched out Saturday morning, texting his wife: “If you don’t hear from me at 12, it means I got arrested.”


According to the driver’s deposition, he gave him a ride to the airport and didn’t notice anything unusual.

Detectives focused on his funding sources and political back-up, as well as to details of arms purchase, combat drills and the group’s hierarchical structure, noting that his confessions helped corroborate information that had already been extracted from other detainees.

Al-Assir said that he received funds from foreign sources: One person wired him money from Brazil as charity donations, and another Lebanese national who works in Qatar.

As to post-Abra period until the day of his arrest, plans concentrated on exposing terrorist cells he might have formed.