Car clues sought in Hobeika murder

The car bombing revived memories of the civil war

Lebanese police investigating the assassination of former warlord Elie Hobeika have questioned several people, including a car dealer in a former southern Christian stronghold.

But the authorities have not yet identified the person who bought the car used to kill Hobeika, who was implicated in the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Antoine Hannoun Ruhayem, a car dealer in the southern town of Jezzine, was detained on Saturday. Another car salesman was questioned near the southern port city of Sidon.

Police also questioned the car's former owner, George Massoud Hanna, and his cousin, Charbel Hanna, in the southern Lebanese town of Ain al-Mir.

False names

A source close to the inquiry told the French news agency AFP that the second-hand dark blue Mercedes used in the attack was last sold for $9,000 to two men who "presented themselves with names that turned out to be false".

Hobeika had said he would give evidence

Hobeika and his three bodyguards were killed by a car bomb blast on Thursday in a Beirut suburb.

Police now have an approximate sketch of the person who last bought the car, the source quoted by AFP said.

The source said two men had driven to George Hanna in Jezzine.

He said one of the men remained in the car, while the other went out to bargain, apparently trying not to seem suspicious, and finally bought the car after bringing the price down by $300.

Israel accused

Jezzine was a stronghold of the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army (SLA) during Israel's 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in May 2000.

Civilians were butchered in Sabra and Shatila

The Lebanese Government has accused Israel of targeting Hobeika to eliminate a key witness in a court case in Belgium against the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon.

Israel denies the accusation.

Mr Sharon was Israeli defence minister at the time of the 1982 massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. The Israeli army controlled access to the camps.

Hobeika's pro-Israeli Christian militia carried out the killings.

Hobeika had said he wanted to testify against Mr Sharon in order to clear his name.

The Belgian court will rule on 6 March if the trial against Mr Sharon will go ahead.

A group calling itself "Lebanese for a Free and Independent Lebanon" faxed a message to Reuters news agency claiming responsibility for the attack on Hobeika. But major anti-Syrian groups in Lebanon say they know nothing of the organisation or its claim.