Six Saudis facing terrorism charges in Lebanon will briefly return to their home country at the request of the Saudi government, a Lebanese judicial source said Friday. The men allegedly participated in bloody gunfights with the Lebanese army at the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al- Bared in 2007. According to the judicial source, the six belong to the Fatah al- Islam group, which follows the ideology of the al Qaeda terrorist network.
According to the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper, the Saudi request came a via letter to Lebanon. It said Riyadh pledged to return the men to Lebanon within 15 days. It is not clear why the men's presence is being requested. In a related development, Fadi Sawan, a military examining magistrate on Friday questioned 10 Fatah al-Islam suspects who have been charged with membership in a terrorist group.