Lebanese Sunni cleric 'killed by family members'

Security forces find Sheikh Ahmad Rifai, known for his opposition to Hezbollah, with gunshot wounds

Tripoli, Lebanon. Sheikh Ahmad Rifa had last been seen in the city, before his body was found in a hole in Akkar. Reuters

A Lebanese Sunni cleric known for his strong anti-Hezbollah views was killed by a group that included his relatives, Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces said.

Sheikh Ahmad Rifai was the imam of a mosque in a village in Qarqaf in the Akkar region in northern Lebanon and would often rail against the Iran-backed group.

He had last been seen in Lebanon’s second city of Tripoli last Monday. Mr Rifai’s handcuffed body was discovered in a 3.5m-deep hole at the weekend in Akkar, with gunshot wounds.

The ISF said a plan to kidnap Mr Rifai had been concocted by a relative believed to be his cousin, the mayor of Qarqaf, a month ago. After raiding the mayor’s house, a large amount of weapons and explosives were discovered, including the gun allegedly used to kill the cleric. Five people have been arrested, including the mayor and his son.

Local media reported that Mr Rifai had been engaged in years-long dispute with the family members arrested over his death.

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed political party and armed group that holds significant sway in Lebanon, condemned the killing of Mr Rifai and hit out at claims that it was involved.

The group accused its opponents of seeking to sow discord by “directing unjust accusations against us without evidence and without justification”.

Lebanon’s leading Sunni cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, praised the ISF for putting an “end to the rumours that accompanied this incident”.