Second "Alfa" Spy Far More Dangerous Than First

Mohamad Shmaysani

15/07/2010 Lebanese Army intelligence arrested Tareq Rabaa Wednesday at the mobile network service “Alfa” for spying for Israel.

Rabaa was the second Alfa employee to be arrested for spying in less than a month. Charbel Qazi, a senior Alfa official was arrested after thorough investigations. He confessed to collaborating with the Israeli Mossad for 14 years. Rabbaa was Qazi’s co-worker.

Defense Minister Elias El-Murr told a Cabinet meeting Wednesday that Rabaa was not arrested as a result of Qazi’s confessions, but due to a voice call interception.

Qazi was described as the most dangerous spy ever, however the Lebanese daily Assafir quoted “well informed sources” as saying that Rabaa was far more dangerous. According to the newspaper, Rabaa has been working with Alfa since 1996 as a communications engineer. He was in charge of installing aerials and determining the mode of transmission.

Assafir said Rabaa was in his 40s and that he was a former resident in Beirut's Tariq Jedideh neighborhood. It added that Rabaa, who is married with no children, currently resides in Aramoun southeast of Beirut.

The Al-Akhbar daily quoted sources as saying that Rabaa’s position was higher than Qazi’s and that he had the ability to control the mobile network and learn about all its hidden secrets. Al-Akhbar, citing a source close to the Alfa company, said that Rabaa can be described as “one of the main drivers of the network.”
The Alfa company expressed shock at the two arrests, knowing exactly what Qaza and Rabba, whether together or individually, can offer to any intelligence body, particularly those who possess state-of-the-art technologies, like the Israelis.

For its part, An-Nahar newspaper said Rabaa was arrested three days ago, but authorities did not want to announce his arrest for the safety of the investigation.

There have been doubts and speculations about the role of the Alfa spies in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Martyr Rafiq Hariri and the wave of assassinations that followed, particularly that a significant part of the international investigation gave great heed to communications data provided by the two mobile network companies in Lebanon. There are also questions about the role of the Alfa spies in the deadly 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian