Michel Attar

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Michel Attar was born in 1989 to Fouad and Rosette Attar, a Maronite Catholic couple from the Metn district of Lebanon. He was a 19-year-old business major at the Lebanese University when he became victim of, what most Lebanese believe as, Syrian terrorism, especially since the 15 attacks that have occurred in Lebanon since Hariri's slaying on February 14, 2005 have only targeted anti-Syrian politicians, journalists and public places in predominately anti-Syrian neighborhoods.[1][2][3] He is considered by many as a martyr of the Cedar Revolution.

Contents

[edit] The Bombing

On Tuesday, February 13, 2007, Michel Attar took a public bus with his friend, Hala Mazloum, from his hometown in Metn to attend class at the university in Beirut. When the bus, which was transporting 26 people, reached the Lebanese mountain village of Ain Alaq, the bomb detonated under Michel's seat. Three people were killed, including Michel, Laurice Gemayel, and Mahmoud Hammoud, an Egyptian laborer while 21 people were injured.[4] Ten minutes later, another bus exploded on the same route. Hala Mazloum suffered severe facial cuts and head trauma and was taken to the Suhal hospital. Hala was Michel's childhood friend and was traumatized when she saw him coming apart next to her.[5]

The two bombings occurred on the eve of a Cedar Revolution rally planned to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri. The bombing occurred less than a mile from the Christian village of Bikfaya, the hometown of the former president, Amin Gemayel, whose son Pierre Gemayel, a cabinet minister and member of the anti-Syrian, March 14 Alliance, was assassinated by gunmen in November.[6] Amin Gemayel, also a member of the March 14 Alliance, had just returned from the United States where he met with president George W. Bush in the White House on February 08, 2007.[7] In addition to scaring the Lebanese from attending the Cedar Revolution the following day, many analyst also saw the bombings in Gemayel's stronghold of Metn as a Syrian warning to Gemayel who was a possible candidate for the Lebanese presidency. The bombings did not deter hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Lebanese, Christians, Muslims, and Druze, to gather in Martyr’s Square in Beirut on February 14 to honor Hariri and show support for the anti-Syrian, pro-western government of Fouad Saniora.[8]

[edit] Reaction to the Bombing

Amnesty International

  • Amnesty International condemned the bombings that killed Michel and two others and accused the perpetrators of the attacks of "showing complete disregard for the most fundamental principles of humanity."[9]

Egypt

France

Germany

Great Britain

Indonesia

  • Indonesia condemned the killing, calling it an act of terror that would hinder political reconciliation among the Lebanese.[14]

Lebanon

  • Prime Minister Fouad Siniora promised to pursue the criminals who murdered Attar, Gemayel and Hammoud. He believed that the terrorists were the same forces who assassinated Hariri in 2005. He said that the Lebanese will not be "scared or terrorized" and the terrorists will be brought to justice.[15]

March 14 Alliance

  • The leaders of the March 14 Alliance accused the Syrian regime of committing the bombings in Ain Alaq to deter the Lebanese from participating in the rally honoring the second anniversary of Hariri's assassination.[16]

Syrian Media

United Nations

  • On February 15, 2007, The U.N. condemned the two bombings, and the Security Council agreed to provide Lebanon with technical assistance to help probe the bombing that killed Michel Attar, Laurice Gemayel and Mahmoud Hammoud.[19]

[edit] The Funeral

Michel Attar was buried at Saint Michael's Church in his hometown of Beit el Chaar, Metn on February 15, 2007.[20] Michel's relatives carried his white coffin, which was decorated with white flowers and the flag of the Knights of the Virgin Mary.[21] To pay tribute to the young life that was violentely taken away from them, the people of Metn decorated the church as if it were for a wedding. Michel's classmates as well as public figures, such as Patricia Gemayel and Madeleine Haddad, governor of the Metn region, attended the funeral. All attendees wore black and Michel's picture as badges on their chests. Michel's eldest brother read a passage from the Bible. Michel was described as "a devoted, non-political person who always wanted to put a smile on people's faces."[22] In an interview with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, Michel's father said that he had heard many politicians calling his son a martyr, but he hoped his son's death would be the last terrorist attack in Lebanon.[23]

[edit] Arrests

On March 14, 2007, Lebanese Internal Security, better known as the Sûreté Générale du Liban, arrested four Syrians who confessed to the bombings in Ain Alaq.[24][25] The Lebanese Interior Minister, Hassan Al Sabaa, believed that the four Syrians were members of a radical Palestinian group, Fateh al-Islam, which allegedly has close ties to the Syrian intelligence agency.[26] However, it was still not clear who actually ordered the attack. Syria denied the Lebanese allegations.[27]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070213/3/2xfpw.html
  2. ^ http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79587
  3. ^ http://www.tiscali.co.uk/news/newswire.php/news/reuters/2005/06/03/world/anti-syriajournalistkilledbybeirutbomb.html
  4. ^ http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79511
  5. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/syria/story/0,,2012425,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
  6. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/syria/story/0,,2012425,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
  7. ^ http://www.eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=2657
  8. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070214/wl_nm/lebanon_dc_8
  9. ^ http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=79547
  10. ^ http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070213/3/2xfpw.html
  11. ^ http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070213/3/2xfpw.html
  12. ^ http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070213/3/2xfpw.html
  13. ^ http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070213/3/2xfpw.html
  14. ^ http://english.people.com.cn/200702/14/eng20070214_350067.html
  15. ^ http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/DS140207_dsart24
  16. ^ http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/DS140207_dsart24
  17. ^ http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79587
  18. ^ http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=133118&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17
  19. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070216/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/un_lebanon_1
  20. ^ http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79587
  21. ^ http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79587
  22. ^ http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=79587
  23. ^ http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=79547
  24. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6448535.stm
  25. ^ http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldnews&storyID=2007-03-14T174620Z_01_L14560315_RTRUKOC_0_US-SYRIA-LEBANON.xml
  26. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6448535.stm
  27. ^ http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldnews&storyID=2007-03-14T174620Z_01_L14560315_RTRUKOC_0_US-SYRIA-LEBANON.xml
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