DNA from Assir’s mother, charred corpses being compared: sources

BEIRUT: DNA samples taken from the mother of Salafist Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir are being compared to those from two charred bodies found at a complex that was at the center of clashes last week between the Lebanese Army and gunmen loyal to the fiery preacher, judicial sources said.

The sources told The Daily Star that DNA samples were also taken from the brother of pop singer-turned-sheikh Fadl Shaker for comparison as well, they added.

They said the DNA testing was ordered by Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr after suspecting that the charred bodies could be those of Assir and Shaker, given that both their whereabouts were unknown for several days and that the bodies were the only ones that remained unidentified.

The battle between Assirs supporters and the Army left at least 18 soldiers and 28 gunmen killed.

Assir is believed to have fled the complex in the Sidon neighborhood of Abra in south Lebanon before the army seized it.

Also Monday, Saqr released nine detainees arrested in the aftermath of the gunbattles between the Lebanese Army and Assir gunmen in Abra, east of the southern city of Sidon. Thirty suspects now remain in custody.

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DNA from Assir’s mother, charred corpses being compared: sources