Salim Jamil Ayyash was found guilty of being part of the ‘red phone network’ involved in the planning of the murder of Hariri.
The other three suspects, Assad Sabra, Hassan Oneissi and Hassan Habib Merei, were not found guilty at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in The Hague. The hearing ruled that there was no evidence of her involvement in the bombing.
The special court was set up to try the four suspects, who were accused of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, intentional murder, attempted intentional murder, and other related charges, according to the tribunal’s website.
Judge David Re said the killing of Hariri was “without a doubt a political act”.
“Syria and Hezbollah may have had motives to eliminate Mr. Hariri, and some of his political allies. However, there was no evidence that Hezbollah leadership had any involvement in the assassination of Mr. Hariri and there is no immediate evidence of Syrian involvement in it, “the judge said.
From 1993 to 2005, Hariri paid “millions of US dollars” to the Syrian Chief of Intelligence in Lebanon Rustum Ghazaleh, and he had doubled his monthly amount on the day before his murder, the judge added.
“The payments were seen as a form of extortion necessary to maintain the relationship,” Re said.
One of the individuals involved in the plot to assassinate Hariri was Mustafa Badreddine who, according to the STL, coordinated surveillance of Hariri and was assassinated in Syria in 2016. According to the US Treasury Department, Badreddine was responsible for the coordinating military activities for Hezbollah in Syria. He was reported as a suspect in the murder until his death was announced.
Speaking after the decision was announced, Hariri’s son, Saad Hariri – also a former Lebanese prime minister – told reporters the result was “satisfactory.”
“Everyone’s expectations were much higher than what came out, but I believe the tribunal came out with a result that is satisfactory. We accept it,” Saad Hariri told reporters in The Hague on Tuesday.
“For the first time in the history of the many political assassinations that Lebanon has witnessed, the Lebanese know the truth, and for the first time, true justice has prevailed,” Saad Hariri added in a statement.
CNN’s Emma Reynolds contributed to this report.
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