The Lebanese army announced that one of the most prominent leaders of Al-Qaeda and the founders of affiliate cells in Lebanon was arrested in the town of Deir Ammar north of Lebanon. 

The terrorist's identity remained anonymous with the army only revealing his initials as T. M.

In a statement, the army pointed out that, after a long course of security work and investigative efforts over the years, "a special unit of the Intelligence Directorate was able, on 5/19/2023 in the town of Deir Ammar - the north, to arrest the citizen (T.M.)." 

The army specified in the statement that the apprehended terrorist played a pioneering role in establishing Fatah Al-Islam. 

توقيف أحد أبرز قادة تنظيم القاعدة ومؤسسي خلاياه في لبنان في بلدة دير عمار-الشمال#الجيش_اللبناني #LebaneseArmyhttps://t.co/gziVI3sv1l pic.twitter.com/jAlXKOwdoy

— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) May 20, 2023

Furthermore, the arrested terrorist was closely linked to the leaders of the organization, then went underground until 2007, after the battle of Nahr Al-Bared, only to return and play a prominent role after the rise of ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra. 

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The statement also indicated that T.M. was associated with terrorist groups that were active in northern Lebanon, and sheltered one of their most dangerous leaders after the battle of Tripoli in 2014 when these groups united to fight the Lebanese army in the neighborhoods of the city of Tripoli and the town of Hanin.

The Lebanese army statement specified that the investigation is still ongoing with the apprehended individual under the supervision of the judiciary. 

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