NCRI – Nigeria’s trial of three Lebanese-born men who are accused of terrorist-related activities associated with Lebanese Hezbollah concluded Monday.
The accused – Mustapha Fawaz, Abdullah Tahini and Talal Roda – are Nigeria residents with both Lebanese and Nigerian citizenship.
In May, the Nigerian authorities announced the arrest of three men with ties to Lebanese Hezbollah. Authorities also announced the discovery of a weapons cache linked to the group.
One report said that that authorities in Kano showed off “11 anti-tank weapons, four anti-tank mines, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and 21 RPG missiles, 17 AK-47s, two sub-machine guns and 76 grenades.”
Nigerian authorities stated that the three members of the cell were arrested and that during questioning all admitted to being members of Hezbollah which is supported by the Iranian regime.
Mustapha Fawaz was arrested on May 16 and led authorities to Abdullah Tahini, who was arrested with approximately $60,000 in undeclared cash at an airport in Kano. Talal Roda was eventually arrested at the site of the weapons.
According to a Nigerian official, “The search team uncovered an underground bunker in the master bedroom where a large quantity of assorted weapons of different types and caliber were recovered.”
The men had been charged with 15 counts, including trafficking weapons, money laundering and plotting terrorist attacks for the Lebanese group Hezbollah. If found guilty, they could be sentenced to anywhere from five years to life in prison, depending on the charge.
The judge has not set a date to announce his verdict, but he said it will be soon.
