Angry mourners bury slain Lebanese politician

Mohammad Chatah was killed in a Friday car bombing blamed by his allies on Hezbollah

By AP 29 December 2013, 3:17 pm

Edit

Lebanese army investigators in white coveralls inspect the scene of an explosion in central Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Dec. 27, 2013, in which Mohammad Chatah, a senior aide to former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, was killed. (Photo credit: AP/Hussein Malla)

BEIRUT — Angry mourners chanted against Hezbollah as they buried a slain Lebanese politician who was critical of the Shiite militia.

The slogans at Sunday’s funeral underscored growing sectarian tensions in Lebanon. Mohammad Chatah, along with six others, was killed in a car bomb on Friday.

The 62-year-old Chatah was a critic of Syria and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. His allies say Hezbollah is responsible for the blast, saying it resembled the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

A UN-backed tribunal investigating Hariri’s killing has indicted five Hezbollah members for their alleged involvement in the assassination. The group rejects the accusations, and refuses to surrender the men.

Lebanon’s Sunni-Shiite tensions have grown steadily worse since Syria’s uprising began three years ago. Hezbollah has sent its fighters to shore up the forces of ruler Bashar Assad, while many Sunnis back rebels trying overthrow him.