UN demands new inquiry into Hariri killing

A UN report by Deputy Garda Commissioner Peter Fitzgerald into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri demanded a new international investigation after determining that Lebanon’s authorities bungled, if not outright manipulated, their probe of the killing.

The report did not directly blame Syria for the assassination of Mr Hariri, an opponent of the Syrian presence in Lebanon, but said Damascus was behind the political tension and weak security that led to his death with 17 other people in a huge explosion on February 14.

"Clearly, Mr Hariri's assassination took place on the backdrop of his power struggle with Syria, regardless of who carried out the assassination and with what aim," the report said. The investigation was launched to help get to the bottom of Mr Hariri's killing.