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| Beirut blast: Ex-minister Mohamad Chatah buried | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The funeral of the Lebanese former minister and opposition figure Mohamad Chatah, who was killed by a car bomb on Friday, has taken place in Beirut. | |
| Tight security was in place as his body was conveyed to a city centre mosque. | Tight security was in place as his body was conveyed to a city centre mosque. |
| Mr Chatah, a Sunni Muslim, was a staunch critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement that backs him. | Mr Chatah, a Sunni Muslim, was a staunch critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement that backs him. |
| Lebanon has been hit by a wave of attacks linked to heightened Sunni-Shia tensions over the Syrian war. | Lebanon has been hit by a wave of attacks linked to heightened Sunni-Shia tensions over the Syrian war. |
| No-one has claimed responsibility for Friday's bombing, which killed six other people and injured at least 50. | No-one has claimed responsibility for Friday's bombing, which killed six other people and injured at least 50. |
| Correspondents say Mr Chatah, who served as an adviser to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, was seen as a moderate in the polarised country. | Correspondents say Mr Chatah, who served as an adviser to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, was seen as a moderate in the polarised country. |
| 'Heinous crime' | 'Heinous crime' |
| Mr Chatah will be buried by a mosque on the edge of Martyr's Square near Mr Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, himself killed in a massive car bomb in 2005. | Mr Chatah will be buried by a mosque on the edge of Martyr's Square near Mr Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, himself killed in a massive car bomb in 2005. |
| Mr Chatah's allies, who include Christians and Muslims, called for a big funeral turnout as a political statement, the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Beirut reports. | Mr Chatah's allies, who include Christians and Muslims, called for a big funeral turnout as a political statement, the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Beirut reports. |
| Saad Hariri implicitly accused Hezbollah of carrying out the bombing. | Saad Hariri implicitly accused Hezbollah of carrying out the bombing. |
| He blamed "those who are hiding from international justice and who have spread the regional fire to the [Lebanese] nation". | He blamed "those who are hiding from international justice and who have spread the regional fire to the [Lebanese] nation". |
| Hezbollah rejected the accusation, calling the bombing a "heinous crime, which comes in the context of a series of crimes and explosions aimed at sabotaging the country". | Hezbollah rejected the accusation, calling the bombing a "heinous crime, which comes in the context of a series of crimes and explosions aimed at sabotaging the country". |
| Syria also denied any involvement in the attack. | Syria also denied any involvement in the attack. |
| Mr Chatah was on his way to a meeting of the anti-Syrian March 14 bloc, led by Saad Hariri, when his convoy was hit. | Mr Chatah was on his way to a meeting of the anti-Syrian March 14 bloc, led by Saad Hariri, when his convoy was hit. |
| The bomb went off at 09:00 (07:00 GMT) between the Starco Centre and Phoenicia Hotel, not far from the Lebanese parliament building. | The bomb went off at 09:00 (07:00 GMT) between the Starco Centre and Phoenicia Hotel, not far from the Lebanese parliament building. |
| The blast damaged several buildings and set several cars ablaze. | The blast damaged several buildings and set several cars ablaze. |
| A 16-year-old who died in the attack will also be buried in Beirut on Sunday. | A 16-year-old who died in the attack will also be buried in Beirut on Sunday. |