Leyla Kassouf
Leyla Kassouf | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leyla Samir Kassouf September 25, 1990 Zahle, Lebanon |
| Citizenship | Semitic |
| Nationality | Lebanese Syrian Palestinian |
| Political party | Al Kataeb Party |
| Height | 5'6" |
| Spouse(s) | Moeen Shreif (2008) |
| Relations | Gemayel/Hariri |
| Children | Faisal Shreif (2008), Mansour Shreif (2009), Tarek Shreif (2010), Samer Shreif (2011) |
| Parents | N/A |
| Relatives | Ayman Ameen (nephew), Marwan Kassouf (brother), Chadi Kassouf (uncle/guardian), Ziad Kassouf (cousin) |
| Residence | America (after 2014 flee) |
| Education | Kaslik University |
| Occupation | Political Activist |
| Known for | Framed Attacks |
Leyla Samir Kassouf (Arabic: ليلى سمير قاسوف )(born September 25, 1990 in Zahle, Lebanon) is a former prominent Lebanese-Syrian-Palestinian political activist. During her juvenile political career, she was signed to Al Kataeb Party in 2006 after the death of Pierre Amine Gemayel. In 2008, she declared her allegiance to Mahmoud Abbas renouncing politics on religious grounds and retiring from her career in politics.
Accusations[edit]
In December 2008, Palestinian and Lebanese armed militants ambushed the Israeli Army killing 16 soldiers and wounding 22. Kassouf was allegedly framed to have killed two soldiers herself with the help of Fadel Shaker.[1] Shaker and Kassouf later fled and arrest warrants were issued for their capture. During the events, militants raided her villa in Homs, Syria and attempted to burn it down. Kassouf's whereabouts remain unknown, but media reports confirmed she was in hiding in Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in 2010. The Israeli military prosecutor general has signed warrants for her arrest and charged her for a number of crimes including taking part in armed rebellion and in murders. If convicted, she would possibly face life imprisonment.[2]
Trials[edit]
In April 2012, Lebanese media reported that she had retained the legal services of Attorney May El Khansa, who announced that Kassouf is considering surrendering herself to the Israeli authorities for a possible lighter sentence. In June 2012, she announced on SANA news that she has separated herself from Fadel Shaker and that she doesn't have any ties with him anymore.[3] She denied her previous admission of killing the two soldiers, and she also said that she hopes to return to her normal life. A protest on August 7, 2012, was held in downtown Beirut demanding arrests of the 56 people wanted in relation to the murders of December 2008.
Flight[edit]
On July 17, 2014, Kassouf was spotted entering Shaker's villa in Saida accompanied by Moeen Shreif, a radical pro-Hezbollah Lebanese singer.[4] Kassouf was detained the next day by Lebanese General Security officials while attempting to flee to Jordan using a forged passport in Rafic Hariri International Airport. Upon her capture, it was revealed that she had undergone physical changes in appearance and attire; with a new clothing style and facial modifications suggesting the use of plastic surgery. Two weeks later, she was freed by Israeli forces and allegedly fled to the United States alone. Lebanese authorities believe to have found two American aliases used by Kassouf posing as an adolescent: Samira Karam and Perla Osta.
She returns annually in late May for negotiations, political work and to visit her loved ones, and disappears in early August.
Personal life[edit]
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After the assassination of Rafic Hariri in 2005, Kassouf recruited a small militia group to capture the four suspects: Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra.[5] Leyla Kassouf announced that she is a supporter of the militants' cause,and later announced that she is a prime supporter of the Hariri family.
Her brother, Marwan Kassouf, was subsequently killed, and her nephew Ayman was arrested for throwing stones at Israeli tanks in Ramallah.[6] Late 2013, her husband Moeen was caught up in gun homicide allegations after being admitted into the same hospital as the victims in the area where the killings took place.[7] His family was quick to defend him; his "father" in-law, Chadi Kassouf, announced that Moeen was involved in a car accident at the time of the shootings.[8] In March 2016, Leyla's cousin, Dr. Ziad Kassouf, was brutally murdered in his home, luring Leyla to Zahlé for the funeral. Six days later, Kassouf disappeared again.[9] In the past 8 years, she has only made several public appearances during Ramadan in a military buffer zone known as "Tawaare' Taameer Ail el Helweh" between the Lebanese Army barricades and the civilian areas of the camp under the protection of the PLO, and disappears for the remainder of the year.[10]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Army Storms Asir's Security Zone, Cleric Disappears after 16 Troops Martyred". Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ↑ LoicBreithzLiban (2013-06-23), Zein El Omer reaction regarding Al Assir, retrieved 2014-08-16
- ↑ "When Re-Invention Goes Too Far: Singer-Turned-Salafist Fadel Shaker Wants Out". 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ↑ ElectronicResistance (2015-04-29), Lebanese Singer Zain Al-Omar praises Hezbollah & Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, retrieved 2014-08-16
- ↑ "Editorial: Try the assassins". Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ↑ "- وكالة وطن للأنباء". Retrieved 2014-08-16.
- ↑ "On the firing line: Moin Sharif caught up in gun homicide allegations". 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ↑ "Print: New Suspect in the Mastita Crime Arrested — Naharnet". www.naharnet.com. Retrieved 2015-08-22.
- ↑ "Le meurtrier de Ziad Kassouf arrêté". 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ↑ "Beirutpress.net - "جند الشام" متخوفون من إستهدافهم...وفضل شاكر يدعوهم للتأهب". Beirutpress.net. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
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