BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- The top investigator into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said Lebanon's ex-security chiefs are suspects in planning the assassination.
German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis said Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, former head of general security, Maj. Gen. Ali Hajj, ex-chief of internal security forces, Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar, former military intelligence chief, Mustafa Hamdan, the commander of the Republican Guards, and former pro-Syria legislator Nasser Kandil, are suspected of having played a role in the planning of the massive Beirut explosion that killed Hariri and 19 others Feb. 14.
Mehlis said Syria is still stonewalling the investigation. He said he wants to interview everyone who was at some point involved with security in Lebanon, including Syrian security and intelligence officials who operated in Lebanon before Syria's withdrawal last April.
Mehlis projected he will be unable to finish his mission by a Sept. 15 deadline and will seek an extension.
