Lebanese police arrested three men today in a move believed to be linked to investigations into the killing of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, a source reported.
The source said Jamil al-Sayyed, former chief of the General Security Directorate; Ali Hajj, ex-head of police; and Raymond Azar, ex-head of military intelligence, were arrested in raids at their homes at dawn by police.
It was not immediately clear why the arrests were made but the three men, all pro-Syrian figures,
had been blamed by some Lebanese politicians of playing a role in the February 14th killing of Mr al-Hariri.
It was also reported police raided the home of former member of parliament Nassir Qandil but did not find him. Several other people were also arrested, the sources said.
They added the chief of the Republican Guard, Mustafa Hamdan, the only remaining pro-Syrian security official still in his post after parliamentary elections produced an anti-Syrian majority, was said to be wanted for questioning.
A UN team probing the assassination of Mr al-Hariri is wrapping up its work and its chief, German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, is expected to report his findings to the Security Council in the next few weeks.
The killing of Mr al-Hariri, which many in Lebanon blamed on Syria, brought mass anti-Syrian demonstrations in Beirut.
Damascus denied its involvement but bowed to world pressure and pulled out its 14,000 troops from the country in April.