Lebanese security forces stopped the suicide bomber from
detonating his device in one of Beirut’s busiest streets on Saturday
night. The would-be attacker, Omar Assi,
from the southern city of Sidon, attempted to detonate an 8kg
shrapnel-filled bomb belt at a Costa coffee shop in the Hamra district,
which is a popular shopping hub with tourists and students, filled with
cafes, bars and shops. Lebanese army intelligence were able to prevent the bombing by acting on intelligence. A
waiter at the Costa told Lebanese television channel LBCI that Assi had
been in the café for around 10 minutes before going outside to answer a
phone call. “He flirted with the barista while he ordered coffee,” the waiter said. “When
he tried to go back in, he was shot in the leg, and the police and army
gathered around him to hold him steady at the entrance of the cafe,” he
added. Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun
and PM Saad Hariri praised the army and police for their collaborative
effort in foiling the attempted attack.