A Lebanese man, who was sanctioned by the U.S. government for allegedly funneling millions to terrorist organizations, was found dead outside of Beirut, Reuters reported Wednesday.
A security source told the outlet that the 57-year-old man was Mohammad Surur and that he had several gunshot wounds to his legs, the outlet noted. Lebanese security officials concluded that Surur was subject to a violent interrogation prior to his death as evidenced by the wounds and the fact that a large sum of money was found on his body, the source told Reuters. (RELATED: US Government Announces Sanctions Against Hamas Fundraising Network)
Lebanese man accused of funnelling funds to Hamas found dead, source says https://t.co/PBJfmeuupi
— Ilan Hulkower (@IHulkower) April 10, 2024
Surur’s family pressed for a full investigation into his death but stopped short of accusing anyone during a press conference, Reuters noted.
The U.S. Department of Treasury listed Surur as a sanctioned man for his ties to Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, in a press release from August 2019. “These facilitators [including Surur] funneled tens of millions of dollars from Iran’s Qods Force through Hizballah in Lebanon to HAMAS for terrorist attacks originating from the Gaza Strip. HAMAS’s continued violent campaign against innocent civilians and the state of Israel is to the great detriment of the people in Gaza,” Sigal Mandelker, the Department of the Treasury’s under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a press release.
Hezbollah is a Lebanese-based terrorist organization, according to the Director of National Intelligence.
Hamas launched a brutal invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7 that left 1,200 people dead and took over 200 captive. This led to the Israel-Hamas war currently raging primarily in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah has been launching projectiles into Israel since Oct. 8 out of solidarity with Hamas.
Surur’s death, however, also comes after the murder of a local Lebanese anti-Hezbollah official, Reuters reported.