Lebanese security official (1965–2012)

In this Lebanese name, the father's name is Adnan and the family name is al-H*an.

Wissam Adnan al-H*an (Arabic: وسام عدنان الحسن, romanized::Wisām ‘Adnān al-Ḥasan; 11 April 1965:– 19 October 2012) was a brigadier general at the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) and the head of its intelligence-oriented Information Branch. Seen as a leading Sunni figure in Lebanon, he was also a key player in the opposition March 14 alliance without having a political position.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Rafik Hariri **ination
• 3 Head of information branch at ISF
• 4 Political activities
• 5 Death and funeral
• 6 Personal life
• 7 See also
• 8 References

Early life

Al-H*an was born into a Sunni family in the northern Lebanese city of Btouratige, Koura District, Lebanon, on 11 April 1965. However, the UN report cites his birthplace as Tripoli.

From 1992 to 1995 al-H*an was official guard of the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. During this period, he was an internal security officer under Ali Al Hajj. In 1995, he was appointed Hariri's chief of protocol and served in this post until 1998. Then he was named as the head of the Hariri office (1998 - 2000). He worked as Hariri's head guard detachment from June 2001 to Summer 2004, and also, promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in this period. Then he began to work for Saad Hariri as head of his office from 2004 to January 2006, and resigned from the ISF during this period.

Rafik Hariri **ination

Main article: **ination of Rafic Hariri

Rafik Hariri was killed in a m*ive car bomb in Beirut on 14 February 2005. As Hariri's chief of protocol, al-H*an would have normally been in the motorcade that was hit by the attack, but he had taken the day off to undergo a university exam.

In 2010, the U.N. investigators from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon suspected that al-H*an was involved in the **ination of Hariri and recommended that he warranted a further detailed investigation, since they considered his alibi to be "weak and inconsistent." However, Hariri's son, Saad Hariri, said he had always had full confidence in al-H*an. Al-H*an was not among those indicted by the tribunal in January 2011. The tribunal's prosecutors are instead seeking the arrest of four members of the pro-Syrian Shia Muslim group Hezbollah.

Head of information branch at ISF

Al-H*an was named as the head of the information branch of the ISF on 19 January 2006, and tasked with leading the investigation to Hariri's death. Al-H*an served under the ISF's director-general, Ashraf Rifi, who is one of the board members of the Prince Nayef University for Security Studies. Al-H*an achieved significant improvements in the capabilities of the information branch in terms of both domestic criminal matters and security issues.

His intelligence unit was seen as being backed by the March 14 alliance, acting as a counterweight to the Lebanese Armed Forces's intelligence unit that is considered to have close links to Syria. The members of his organization have been subject of repeated **inations and **ination attempts. One of the information branch's tasks was dismantling the network of Israeli spies in Lebanon, and this led to the arrest of over 100 individuals suspected of collaborating with Israel.

As the chief of the intelligence branch, al-H*an was criticized by members of the March 8 Alliance for allegedly focusing his investigations on pro-Syrian figures and members of the March 8 Alliance. In August 2012, al-H*an made headlines as the key player in an investigation that led to the arrest of former information minister Michel Samaha, who was charged with transporting explosives into Lebanon with the help of the Syrian Security Chief Ali Mamlouk, in an alleged attempt to destabilize the country. Al-H*an had evidence of direct links between Samaha and senior Syrian political and intelligence aides, including top adviser to President *ad, Butheina Shaban. Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel reported that al-H*an was threatened in relation to the arrest of Samaha. Colonel Imad Othman succeeded al-H*an as the head of ISF's intelligence bureau on 21 October 2012.

Political activities

Al-H*an acted as a mediator between Saad Hariri and Hezbollah. In addition, al-H*an supported the Syrian opposition in the Syrian civil war as it is alleged that he facilitated the flow of money and arms from the Gulf states and the West to the Syrian opposition through Lebanon. Although al-H*an was not directly involved in operations, his actions permitted the smuggling of arms destined for opposition forces from Lebanon to Syria, provided a safe haven for Syrian defectors in Lebanon, and resulted in the Syrian opposition using bases in Lebanon as staging areas for attacks into Syria.

Al-H*an was named as a possible negotiation partner by the Free Syrian Army after the Syrian insurgency fighters kidnapped 11 Lebanese Shi'a pilgrims in August. Al-H*an was considered an ally of the United States.

Death and funeral

Main article: October 2012 Beirut bombing

On 19 October 2012, al-H*an died in a m*ive car bombing near the Achrafieh neighborhood of Beirut. Seven other people including his driver also died and nearly eighty people were wounded in the huge blast. Al-H*an is believed to have been the target of the attack. He returned to Beirut from abroad on 18 October 2012.

A state funeral ceremony for him was organized in Beirut on 21 October with the attendance of significant political figures and thousands of people. Lebanese president Michel Suleiman awarded al-H*an the National Order of the Cedar in Grade of Grand Officer at the ceremony. Al-H*an was buried alongside former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a cemetery near the Mohammad Amin Mosque.

Personal life

Al-H*an was married to Anna al-H*an and had two sons, Majd and Mazen.

See also

• Future Movement
• Lebanese–Syrian Security Apparatus
• 2011–2012 conflict in Lebanon
• Lebanese Information Branch
• List of **inated Lebanese politicians

References