A suspected senior commander of the Fatah Islam group was captured by Palestinian refugees and turned over to the Lebanese military Monday after he spent weeks in hiding, an official said.
Nasser Ismail was among a number of leaders who fled the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared before Lebanese forces overran it early last month, ending a fierce three-month standoff with Fatah Islam fighters barricaded inside.
Ismail appeared to be suffering from exhaustion from weeks of hiding in nearby forests when he was overpowered by Palestinian refugees as he tried to sneak into the Beddawi camp along with an aide, a senior military official was quoted as saying by the AP.
The refugees handed Ismail and the assistant over to Lebanese soldiers, the official said. Ismail, a Palestinian, is Fatah al-Islam Operations Chief, the official said.
