Majed al-Majed: 8 Days With the Lebanese Army

The emir of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades passed away on January 4 due to his deteriorating health situation. The news was expected following leaks that said he might die soon in his bed at the Military Hospital in Beirut.

Eight days after his arrest, news about his death was leaked quietly to the media. However, amid skepticism, the government commissioner at the military courts, Sakr Sakr, confirmed the story. He announced that a forensic doctor was asked to do an autopsy on Majed's body.

That was the end of the Saudi suspect, who was described by sources as being "unconscious during his last days, and when he woke up, he would be hallucinating and spitting blood." Medical sources confirmed that Majed's health resembled a man of 70 due to poor medical care.

Several questions need to be answered. Why was he removed from the hospital if his health situation did not allow it? Who was the doctor who gave permission for his transfer?

It was said that "Majed had signed a paper asking to be transferred under his own responsibility." But if this was true, how was he conscious in the ambulance only to suddenly lose consciousness and fall into a coma the moment he was arrested by military intelligence? What happened to Majed in the minutes between his release from hospital and his arrest?

Sources described to Al-Akhbar the details of his journey. On that day, the Red Cross operations room received a phone call from Makassed Hospital asking to transfer a patient with Syrian nationality to the Bekaa.

The sources said the mission was given to three young men from the Red Cross, who were tasked with transferring a patient suffering from kidney failure to the Bekaa. He was supposed to be handed to another ambulance to take him for treatment.

"The three young men were not aware of the patient's identity," the sources explained. "They were only informed that he was Syrian and would be undergoing kidney dialysis." They added that a civilian was supposed to be accompanying him, but he did not appear for some unknown reason.

On that basis, the ambulance left Makassed Hospital and headed to the Bekaa. But as soon as it passed the General Security Directorate building in the Beirut neighborhood of Furn al-Chebbak on its way to the highway leading to the Sayyad roundabout, the ambulance was stopped by Lebanese army vehicles.

The sources said army intelligence ambushed the ambulance. The paramedics were taken by surprise, and although they identified themselves, they were beaten up and shackled, since they were suspected of being in collusion with Majed. Army intelligence took control of the ambulance and drove it in the direction of the Defense Ministry in Yarze.

The sources maintained that Majed was fully conscious at the time. So, what changed that? Was he beaten during the transfer? Did this lead worsen his health? Yet what if Majed was in good health during the first days of his arrest? Why all the secrets related to Majed’s death?

If secrecy is justified when arresting such an important suspect, what excuse does the army have in delaying the release of a statement to provide the details of this operation? Who were the people who had helped Majed in the hospital in the first place? Who admitted him and paid for his treatment?

What does the Lebanese state have to say in reply to questions from Iranian officials, including Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alawi, who raised doubts about the circumstances of his arrest and called for an autopsy and investigation?

What does it have to say about statements from Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the Iranian Shura’s foreign policy committee, who said, "Saudi, the primary financial backer of Majed, is not interested in uncovering his role in the terrorist attacks that took place in Beirut?"

These questions are not meant to accuse the army or its leadership of deliberately killing him. But the man's significance should raise such issues, especially due to allegations that he was an officer in the Saudi army. In addition, there was the Saudi haste to extradite him for trial and Iran's insistence on participating in his interrogation. All this puts the army under a heavy burden.

On the other hand, the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon revealed that Majed's family had sent a request to the Saudi Foreign Ministry to retrieve his body, indicating that the kingdom did not request an autopsy.