IN A LEBANESE JAIL, AL-QAEDA PRISONERS AREN'T HAPPY CAMPERS

Killing 170 Lebanese soldiers doesn't make you popular when you end up in prison. It now seems that regular Lebanese prisoners are beating the crap out of Fatah al Islam terrorists in a Lebanese jail.

[As I did not get this story fully confirmed by authorities yet, I have to use the phrase "it seems they are being beaten up" instead of "they are being beaten up".]

This, according to sources, is currently going on in the Roumieh prison, Lebanon's main penitentiary facility, located close to Beirut.

"The atmospfere in the prison is very tensed," says a well informed source, who wants to stay anonymous. According to this source, non-political inmates (basically regular criminals) are beating and fighting the pro-Al-Qaeda-inmates of Fatah al Islam. Because of the sensitivity of the matter, it is unclear how many Islamic militants have been beaten up. And, if so, how serious the beatings are (or were).

Lebanese soldiers have gained a true hero's status in Lebanon after they successfully fought these Islamic militants. The 170 or so soldiers who died are considered martyrs by most Lebanese. Subsequently, their murderers are among the most hated in the country (let's not forget, Fatah al Islam beheaded some soldiers).

Due to safety reasons, the Fatah al Islam-terrorist were put in several different cells in order to mix them with regular inmates. This because the authorities are scared of a prison break (with possible outside help of Al-Qaeda units) in case the Al-Qaeda supporters are put together and in only one part of the prison. Generally, eight inmates share one prison cell in the Roumieh-complex.

"There are fights taking place between the two groups," says yet another source here in Beirut, "Fatah al Islam guys aren't very popular in jail; to say the least."

According to a Lebanese army officer, the Fatah al Islam militants are lucky to be in Roumieh prison, which is controlled by the ministry of Interior, not the ministry of Defence. "If we could pay them a visit," he says, "We for sure would know how to deal with them."

Prison life is never fun ("Pick up the soap, boy!"). But it seems easier to be a pedophile in a Thai jail than a Fatah al Islam guy in a Lebanese prison.

Harald Doornbos

Give Fatah al Islam a phone call….

Salim Abu Taha, the spokesman of the Al-Qaeda inspired group Fatah al Islam in Lebanon, was supposed to be dead. He died, according to the Lebanese media, a couple of weeks ago during heavy fighting around the Nahr al Bared refugee camp in the north of the country.

That obviously wasn't true. Because Abu Taha was arrested this saturday by Lebanese authorities, hiding in the bushes outside the camp. This all two weeks after the Lebanese army defeated Fatah al Islam and took the camp. A couple of days ago we saw the same saga concerning Al Absi, the leader of the group. First he was killed, then he escaped, later he was dead again and his body identified by his wife. DNA made it eventually clear that it wasn't Al Absi after all.

So HARRYZZZ now gives you the unique opportunity to check yourself what happened to Abu Taha. Here is his mobile telephone number:

Readers in Lebanon call: 70-816085
Readers outside Lebanon call: 00 961 70-816085

I've spoken to Salim Abu Taha a couple of days before the fighting broke out in May this year. He is somewhere in his late twenties, early thirties. And to me he was very polite and friendly.

I can guarantee this is his cell phone number, but I have no clue if he will pick up the phone. Last time I tried (during the fighting) a recorded voice said: "This telephone is switched off, please try again later."

Well, good luck and let me know if you managed to speak to the guy! Please ask him if is he is free, arrested or dead (or went undercover to Kenya).

Harald Doornbos