عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

French-Lebanese Businessman Linked to Sarkozy Case Detained in Beirut

French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine. (AFP)
French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine. (AFP)
TT
20
TT

French-Lebanese Businessman Linked to Sarkozy Case Detained in Beirut

French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine. (AFP)
French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine. (AFP)

Lebanon detained French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine who is tied to allegations of Libyan financing in former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign, a Lebanese security source said on Friday.

The source said the arrest was made based on an Interpol request over corruption charges and the Sarkozy case.

Reuters was not immediately able to contact his representatives.

French Prosecutors are investigating allegations that Libya's late former leader Moammar al-Gaddafi provided Sarkozy's successful run for the presidency with millions of euros shipped to Paris in suitcases -- allegations that Sarkozy denies.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

At Least 69 People Dead in Mall Fire in Iraq

Firefighters gather in front of a burning hypermarket building in Kut, Iraq, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)
Firefighters gather in front of a burning hypermarket building in Kut, Iraq, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)
TT
20
TT

At Least 69 People Dead in Mall Fire in Iraq

Firefighters gather in front of a burning hypermarket building in Kut, Iraq, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)
Firefighters gather in front of a burning hypermarket building in Kut, Iraq, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)

A massive fire in a hypermarket in al-Kut city in eastern Iraq has left at least 69 people dead and 11 others missing, the city's health authorities and two police sources told Reuters on Thursday.

Reuters' footage of the aftermath of the overnight fire showed the blackened exterior of "Corniche Hypermarket" building, with rescue teams and security forces still at the site.

Videos verified by Reuters showed firefighters spraying water on the blazing building overnight and people climbing from the roof with the help of rescue teams.

"We have more bodies that have not been recovered still under fire debris," city official Ali al-Mayahi told Reuters.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but the province's governor said initial results from an investigation would be announced within 48 hours, the INA state news agency reported.

"We have filed lawsuits against the owner of the building and the mall," INA quoted the governor as saying.