Syrian minister 'commits suicide'

BBC Website ^ | 10/12/05 | BBC

[lump in the melting pot]

Syria's interior minister Ghazi Kanaan has committed suicide, the official news agency in Damascus says. For many years Kanaan was Syria's powerful intelligence chief in Lebanon, which was dominated by Syria until its military withdrawal earlier this year.

He returned to Damascus in 2002 to head the political intelligence agency and he joined the cabinet in 2004.

The United States froze his assets there in July saying he had aided terrorism in Lebanon.

[Jet Jaguar]

Shot himself 14 times?

[lump in the melting pot]

and closed the window after jumping out too! It was BBC not me that put the quotes in the title.

[Jet Jaguar]

Damn. That is surprising for the BBC.

[river rat]

I hope this means we're "targeting" these lunatics...
Semper Fi

[Psalm 73]

"Kanaan was Syria's powerful intelligence chief in Lebanon..."

The Israelis?
Of course it would be "suicide" for Syria to openly claim Israel killed him, (they would have to retaliate, and would get badly mauled in the process).

[jmc1969]

He hung himself and put a dozen bullets in the back of his head?

[Mr. Mojo]

"Just a suicide, folks. ...move along now."

[BluH2o]

He hung himself and put a dozen bullets in the back of his head?

A real Arkancide type suicide ...

[fifthvirginia]

Sounds like it was either his own people [a government "cleanup"] or the Israelies. In either case,,,good riddence to bad rubbish

[moose2004]

How about the SAS?

[F14 Pilot]

just aired on CNN too

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/12/syria.minister/index.html

[mainepatsfan]

I'm sure it was clearly suicide. Just like Vince Foster's death.

[Dog]

This is freaking MAJOR NEWS....I mean...seriously major.

[airborne]

You beat me to it. Sorry for the duplicate thread.

[Dog]

This was a Syrian job....question is was he flipped by the UN investigator which lead to this 'suicide'.

[Not a 60s Hippy]

->

Interesting article from DEBKAfile. Will Assad Save Himself by Going the Way of Qaddafi? Take it for what its worth. Just another political chess game.

http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1092

[Brilliant]

He returned to Damascus in 2002 ... The United States froze his assets there in July saying he had aided terrorism in Lebanon.

Dang, we're good!

[wayoverontheright]

This is freaking MAJOR NEWS....I mean...seriously major.

It most certainly is.

The Syrian problems began with Hariri's assassination, now this. There will be a reaction, and I'm not sure it will be good for Assad. It doesn't matter whether he committed sucicide or not, this guy knew he was dead either way. Assad will now have to kill all who were associated with the Lebanon blunders, we have here a tinder-box situation.

[jveritas]

The Syrian regime has killed him. Cowards like Ghazi Kanaan do not commit suicide. There are two scenarios why thy have killed him:
(1) He was involved in the assassination of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafik Harriri last February and the UN investigator of the assassination was on the verge of indicting him with other Syrian officials. So Kanaan may have threaten to spell the beams on the many crimes and terrorism committed Baath terrorist regime in Lebanon, Iraq, and elsewhere. So the Syrian regime killed him.
(2) I am hearing from some good sources that the Syrian regime is being greatly pressured by the United States to get rid of all the old guard in the regime and does an internal reform by the end of this year or they will be overthrown. No one represents the brutal terrorist old guard of the Baath regime more than Ghazi Kanaan.

Regardless I will tell you that untold millions of Lebanese are rejoicing the death of this mass murderer because he had terrorized Lebanon via the brutal Syrian Intelligence apparatus for over 30 years.