Syrian Brig. Gen. Ghazi Kenaan, who committed suicide Wednesday.
Posted on 10/14/2005 10:48:10 AM PDT by SmithL
Syria's interior minister, Brig. Gen. Ghazi Kenaan, who was believed to have been questioned by UN investigators on the assassination of a former Lebanese leader, committed suicide on Wednesday, Syria's official news agency said.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Thursday night he hoped that Kenaan was not Syrian President Bashar Assad's “scapegoat.”
Shalom claimed that Israel does not yet know the full circumstances leading to Kenaan's death, but noted that there were murder cases in the past that had been presented as suicide.
Official sources in Jerusalem doubted that Ghazi Kenaan would commit suicide voluntarily, and he may not have had any other choice. They said that it was a reasonable assumption that this was an attempt to prevent him from revealing incriminating information against Assad.
Kenaan's death came days before the United Nations is expected to release its report into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
“Interior Minister Brig. Gen. Ghazi Kenaan committed suicide in his office before noon," the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. "Authorities are carrying out the necessary investigation into the incident."
Shalom said the Syrians feel “the noose tightening” in the run up to the release later this month of the final report of a UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
In addition, Shalom said that Syria supports and uses terrorism, and that that the international community would not relieve the isolation of Syria until it stopped providing refuge and support to terrorist organizations.
The news agency did not mention the UN investigation, which is due to issue its report by Oct. 25.
Hours before he died, Kenaan contacted a Lebanese radio station and gave it a statement, concluding with the words: "I believe this is the last statement that I could make." He asked the interviewer to pass his comments to other broadcast media.
The interior minister in Syria controls the police, but before he was promoted to this position in 2003, Kenaan was Syria's intelligence chief in Lebanon, presiding over Syria's control of its western neighbor.
Lebanese newspapers have reported he was among seven senior Syrian officials questioned last month by the UN team investigating Hariri's murder. The other officials included Syria's last intelligence chief in Lebanon, Brig. Gen. Rustum Ghazale and his two aides.
The investigators have named as suspects four Lebanese generals who are close to Syria, and they are under arrest.
Many Lebanese believe Syria played a role in Hariri's killing. The Syrian government has denied any involvement, but Syria dominated Lebanese political life until mass demonstrations and international pressure forced it to withdraw its troops from Lebanon at the end of April.
Herb Keinon contributed to this report
Syrian Brig. Gen. Ghazi Kenaan, who committed suicide Wednesday.
Syria is in trouble.
Syria's VINCE FOSTER??
Another Islamic extremist domino teetering.
On Hugh Hewitt's show yesterday, it was said that the Syrian Foreign Minister had a silencer on the gun he used to kill himself with.
Has anyone else heard this? I'm not sure I've heard of many suicide attempts in which a silencer was used.
Is that similar to leaders of the old USSR catching a cold?
Was there any new stuff on the Foster death? I was hoping something would pop on that one after a few years passed.
Makes sence to me. Think about it. A fire arm discharging close to ones ear can cause permanent hearing loss.
Why use a silencer if you're going to wack yourself?
Couldn't happen to a more deserving group of thugs.
Great. We're fighting a secret war with "The Sopranos".
This tacky, murderous clan is actively supporting the insurgency killing US troops.
Incredible.
Sounds like the same people who vetted Harriett Miers on her judicial philosophy, i.e. an extremely quick investigation.
Commit suicide voluntarily... I would think anything other is murder???
He didn't want to wake the rest of the household!
Dead men tell no tales.
Something tells me he was killed because he was involved in the assasination, and probably knew a ton of other dirty laundry on Syria as well. Probably to send a message to the others to keep quiet as well.
If he started singing, Syria would be in deep $hit.
Is that like that terrorist in Iraq (Abu Nidal?) right before the invasion in 2003 that comitted suicide by shooting himself somthing like 40 times with an AK-47?
Actually it sound more like the Miers critics. 'Don't bother to tell us the facts, we all ready have decided on a lynching.'
Good lord, is there anything that isn't about Miers to you? This is a thread about SYRIA. Do you have a poster of her above your bed?
HF
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