Mustafa Hamdan
{{Short description|Lebanese general}}
Mustafa Hamdan (or Mustapha Hamdan), ({{langx|ar|مصطفى حمدان}}; born 1955) is a retired Lebanese army general and head of the presidential guard,{{cite news|date=21 September 2009|title=Jamil Sayyed to Saad Hariri: You Are Your Dad's Killer till You Punish Forgers|publisher=Champress|url=http://www.champress.net/index.php?q=en/Article/view/43259|url-status=dead|accessdate=21 September 2009|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901055533/http://www.champress.net/index.php?q=en%2FArticle%2Fview%2F43259|archivedate=1 September 2009|quote=Sayyed was among four generals who were released in April 2009 after four years in custody in connection with Hariri's assassination, no one has ever been formally charged. The other three are the former head of the presidential guard, Mustafa Hamdan, domestic security chief Ali al Hajj, and military intelligence chief Raymond Azar.}} and head of Al-Mourabitoun movement.{{Cite web|title=Mustapha Hamdan: Indictment Imminent- Al Manar TV Website Archive|url=http://archive.almanar.com.lb/english/article.php?id=20266|access-date=2021-01-12|website=archive.almanar.com.lb}}
Career
Mustafa Hamdan was tasked with protecting army commander Émile Lahoud in 1990.{{cite news|title=Factbox: Lebanese generals ordered released by Hariri court|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-tribunal-generals-facts-idUSTRE53S4KF20090429|accessdate=2 July 2012|newspaper=Reuters|date=29 April 2009}} He was appointed head of the Republican Guard in 1998. He is known to be a close aide-de-camp to Lebanese President Émile Lahoud and Michel Aoun.{{cite news|last=Fattah|first=Hassan M.|title=Lebanon’s President Facing Pressure to Resign|url=http://tech.mit.edu/V125/PDF/N36.pdf|accessdate=16 March 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=6 September 2005}}
Controversy
On 30 August 2005, Hamdan was arrested along with three other Lebanese generals during the investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed on 14 February 2005 in a massive explosion targeting his motorcade near downtown Beirut.{{cite book|last=Mallat|first=Chibli|title=Lebanon's Cedar Revolution An essay on non-violence and justice|publisher=Mallat|pages=122|url=http://mallat.com/books/Appendix1%20and%202.pdf|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202044246/http://mallat.com/books/Appendix1%20and%202.pdf|archivedate=2012-02-02}} The other generals arrested were Jamil al Sayyed, Ali Al Hajj and Raymond Azar. The 19 October 2005 Mehlis report stated Hamdan told a witness: "We are going to send him on a trip -- bye, bye Hariri." It also quoted a witness saying that Hamdan had provided logistical support. Hamdan and other generals were held in Roumieh prison, northeast of Beirut from 2005 to 29 April 2009 .{{cite news|title=Jamil as-Sayyed|url=http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=111681|accessdate=29 June 2012|newspaper=Now Lebanon|date=31 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419172256/http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=111681|archive-date=19 April 2011|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Jamil al Sayyed celebrates photos|url=http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Jamil+al-Sayyed+celebrates|accessdate=29 June 2012|newspaper=USA Today|date=29 April 2009}} They were released from the prison upon the order of Special Tribunal Lebanon Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen{{cite web|title=Media advisory - Timeline Jamil al Sayyed|url=http://www.stl-tsl.org/en/media/press-releases/media-advisory-timeline-jamil-el-sayed|publisher=Special Tribunal for Lebanon|accessdate=30 June 2012|date=12 May 2011}} due to lack of evidence.{{cite news|last=Muir|first=Jim|title=Deep divisions haunt Lebanese politics|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11392034|accessdate=30 June 2012|newspaper=BBC|date=22 September 2010}} They were not charged with a crime.{{cite web|title=Lebanon Historical Chronology|url=http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/site/c.glKWLeMTIsG/b.2733209/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080529065435/http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/site/c.glKWLeMTIsG/b.2733209/|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 May 2008|publisher=Security Council Report|accessdate=30 March 2012|date=9 March 2012}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=33em}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamdan, Mustafa}}
Category:Lebanese Sunni Muslims
Category:People of the Lebanese Civil War
{{Lebanon-mil-bio-stub}}