Hariri death probe 'star witness' held in France

French police have arrested a former Syrian intelligence officer who is considered an important witness in the UN probe into former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination, officials said today.

Mohammed Zuhair Al-Siddiq was taken into custody yesterday in the Paris area by France’s DST counterintelligence service, police said.

He was the subject of an international arrest warrant and is expected to be extradited, the officials said.

The arrest warrant, issued by Lebanese Magistrate Elias Eid, accused Al-Siddiq of giving false testimony and misleading the UN investigation, judicial officials in Lebanon said.

Al-Siddiq has been billed by Arab media as being a leading witness in the probe by chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis.