Jamil Al Sayyed
Jamil al Sayyed (born 1950) is former head of Lebanese General Security Directorate.
Early life and education
Sayyed was born in the Bekaa village of al Nabi Eila[1], near Ablah, in 1950.[2][3] He graduated from the al Hikmeh school in Beirut.[2]
Career
After graduation, Jamil al Sayyed served in the armored corps of the Lebanese army.[2] He worked in Beirut until March 1976 when he joined the First Brigade in the Bekaa valley under Brigadier General Ibrahim Shaheen, who at that time established the "Vanguards Of The Arab Lebanese Army" under Syrian supervision. In 1977, Sayyed began to serve in the intelligence branch of the First Brigade after it was reincorporated into the Lebanese army.[2] Next, he was appointed chief intelligence officer in the Bekaa Valley in 1984.[1] From 1989 to 1990, he served as head of the security for former Lebanese President Elias Hrawi. He was commonly considered as the most influential security official in Lebanon in the period after the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war.[3] In 1992, he was appointed deputy chief of military intelligence. Six years later, in 1998, then-Lebanese President Emile Lahoud appointed him as the head of General Security. Sayyed was assigned with the task of cross-examining potential candidates for the soon-to-be-formed parliament and cabinet in 2000.[1] He resigned from his post in April 2005 as a result of the heavy pressure from the anti-Syria opposition in Lebanon after Rafiq Hariri's assassination.[3]
Controversy
At the time of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, four Lebanese military and intelligence officers including Major General Jamil al Sayyed, Brigadier General Mustapha Hamdan, Major General Ali Hajj and Brigadier General Raymond Azar were considered as pillars of the Lebanese state under the domination of Syria.[3] They were all arrested in August 2005 at the request of German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, who was carrying out the UN investigation about the assassination.[3] Jamil al Sayyed was given as one of the persons who decided to assassinate Rafik Hariri in a leaked draft version of the Mehlis report along with other Syrian high-rank intelligence and security officers and officals, namely Assef Shawkat, Maher al Assad, Hassan Khalil and Bahjat Suleyman]].[4] However, later reports about the assassination did not repeat the allegations against Jamil al Sayyed and other three Lebanese generals.[3] Four Lebanese generals were held in Roumieh prison, northeast of Beirut from 2005 to 2009.[3][5] He released from the prison due to lack of evidence.[5]
Personal life
Jamil al Sayyed is described as smart and smooth but one with the tendency to blink under pressure according to the military records of the Lebanese army.[2] He is a Shi'ite Muslim and had close ties to the Iran- and Syria-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Lynch, Sarah (24 September). "Who is Jamil as Sayyed?". YaLibnan. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e Nassif, Daniel (March 2000). "Dossier: Jamil al-Sayyid". Middle East Intelligence Bulletin. 2 (3). Retrieved 28 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Factbox: Lebanese generals ordered released by Hariri court". Reuters. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- ^ "Mehlis Report". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Jamil as-Sayyed". Now Lebanon. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2012.