A bomb was found early yesterday near the building of Future Television, owned by the family of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, the channel's editor-in-chief said.

"A small bomb in a plastic bag was found at dawn in front of the main gate of the television building," in central Beirut, Imad Assi said.

"Explosives experts from the internal security forces were sent to the site, and later on military experts took the bomb away," he said, without describing it.

Assi recalled that Future Television's news headquarters, in the seafront neighbourhood of Rausheh, had been targeted by two rockets in 2003.

The television's management later issued a statement linking the incident to "the series of explosions that Lebanon has witnessed since the start of the terrorist attacks, with the October 2004 attempt on minister Marwan Hamadeh and the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri" on 14 February 2005.

"This incident is a political-security message addressed to the (Future) institution, freedom of the press and democracy in Lebanon at a time the country is trying to establish political, economic and security stability.

"The management of Future Television ... will continue its battle for Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and freedom," it added.

Hariri was killed in a massive Beirut car bomb attack widely blamed on Syrian officials and their Lebanese allies - a claim denied by Damascus.

Source: Gulf News website, Dubai, in English 25 Jun 06

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