A prominent Lebanese activist and publisher known for his public criticism of the Hezbollah militant group was found dead in his car on Thursday morning, the Associated Press said.
Lokman Slim, 58, was a Shia political activist and researcher. After being reported missing for hours since Wednesday evening, Slim’s body was discovered in the passenger seat of his vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds at close range, the AP reported.
The news of his murder has raised concerns that political tension in Lebanon could spill over into a wave of new attacks.
“He carried the weight of this land on his shoulder,” Slim’s sister Rasha al-Ameer told AP. “To date in Lebanon’s history, all investigations have led to a dead end,” she continued.
Slim’s wife, Monika Borgmann, called for an international investigation into her husband’s death. “This killer must be punished,” said Borgmann.
Al-Ameer charged Hezbollah with the murder, despite the group publicly condemning it and calling for an investigation.
In the days before he was attacked, Slim convicted Hezbollah supporters for allegedly threatening him at his home and accusing him of treason.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blink
Antony BlinkenOvernight stay: new START extended by five years | Austin orders ‘resign’ to address extremism | Panel recommends Biden to delay withdrawal from Afghanistan US ‘disappointed’ by UN court decision in Iran case: State Department study group recommends Biden to delay withdrawal from Afghanistan MORE denounced the murder, stating that it was “cowardly and unacceptable to resort to violence, threats and intimidation as a means of undermining the rule of law or suppressing freedom of speech and civic activism,” the AP said.
He also called on Lebanese officials to act quickly to bring the killers to justice, AP reported.