Militant killed at Syrian border

There is a heavy security presence at Jdaidet Yabous crossing

An Islamic militant has blown himself up at a border post near Lebanon after a gunbattle with security forces, the Syrian government says.

Omar Abdullah, a Syrian leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Tawhid and Jihad group, was trying to cross into Lebanon with fake documents, a statement said.

Two security force members were reported wounded during the incident.

Syria's Jdaidet Yabous crossing is a short drive from the Lebanese border on the main Damascus-Beirut road.

A Syrian interior ministry statement said Abdullah opened fire at security forces before attempting to escape.

He then detonated an explosive belt, killing himself and wounding two members of the Syrian security forces, the statement said.

It said nine sets of fake identification papers were found on the militant, who used the codename Omar Hamra.

A Lebanese security source quoted by Reuters said police had stopped a car leaving Syria and when they tried to search a suitcase in the vehicle, the driver brandished a pistol and opened fire.

As he ran from the car a grenade he was holding exploded, killing him, the sources said.

The television channel run by Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, Manar TV, reported that Abdullah's wife, who was travelling with him, was arrested after the incident, but the Syrian statement made no mention of her.

Sunni Muslim extremists have battled with Syrian security forces several times in recent years and are also thought to be active in some areas in Lebanon.