LebaneseForces.com: Fighting for Freedom

Blast Kills Anti-Syria Journalist in Ashrafiyeh

An Nahar's Columnist Samir Kassir, long a daring critic of Syria, was assassinated in a booby-trapped car explosion in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh residential district Thursday. He was 45.
Media reports said Kassir, who has just turned 45, climbed into his Alfa Romeo private car that was parked near Ashrafiyeh's ABC shopping mall shortly before midday and turned on the ignition, touching off the fiery explosion. Death was instantaneous, police said.

Kassir's body was gutted and partly torn to pieces as a ball of flame engulfed the car. Fire engines and Red Cross activists raced with sirens wailing to the scene along with An Nahar's General Manager Gebran Tueni, who has been elected to Lebanon's new parliament in Sunday's elections.

Premier Mikati later sped from the Grand Serail to the scene of the tragedy and looked at Kassir's body as Red Cross paramedics were extracting the corpse from the smoldering wreckage. Riot police were having difficulty to turn back onlookers.

Initial reports said Kassir's wife, renowned interviewer Giselle Khoury of Al Arabia satellite network was with him when the car exploded. But it was later established that the reports were untrue and that his wife was out of Lebanon.

Kassir, who had an eloquent way with words that made him one of the widest-read writers in Lebanon, authored countless fiery editorials against Syria's tutelage over Lebanon during his lifetime. He felt particularly happy when Syria was forced to evacuate Lebanon last April.

Posted by 40-Tactical on Thursday, June 02, 2005 | Permalink