Lebanon's General Security announced Saturday that it had arrested three men, two Palestinians and a Syrian national, for recruiting on behalf of ISIS to carry out bombings in Lebanon and Syria. In a statement released Saturday, the security agency said A.J., a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon, had created a cell that recruited and trained Islamist extremists to be part of ISIS and carry out attacks in return for money. The cell was being overseen by another Palestinian national, identified by his initials Y.M., the statement added. A Syrian cell member, A.A., was also arrested for belonging to ISIS, spying on Lebanese Army bases and reporting on troop movements in the northeastern town of Arsal. After making the confessions, the three detainees were referred to the Army Intelligence for further investigations before being tried by the Military Tribunal. ISIS and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front both operate near the Lebanese border on the outskirts of Arsal. The two groups invaded the town in August 2014 and engaged in deadly clashes with the Lebanese Army, after which they withdrew with 37 servicemen as captives. Twenty-five of them remain hostage and all talks aimed at swapping the servicemen for Islamist detainees held in Lebanese prisons have thus far failed.
