Ali Abdel Wahad, 30, a Palestinian national who worked as al-Assir’s personal bodyguard was detained at Rafik Hariri’s International Airport at 4:00 a.m. when he was trying to escape security guards by shaving his beard and cutting his hair.

He had booked a flight with Egypt Air to Nigeria, with a transit stop in Cairo.

His arrest comes as military Judge Saqr Saqr earlier this month ordered the arrest of dozens of suspects who were involved in clashes between supporters of Assir and Lebanese army.

Lebanese court charged 37 people including Assir with murder, illegal arms possession and other crimes.

Despite police effort to hunt the Salafist militants, some of the defendants, including Assir still remain at large.

The Salafist figure who is on run has reportedly been wounded in June during clashes with Lebanese army in southern Lebanon in Sidon after Lebanese army troops cordoned off a mosque where the extremist leader was based.

A video showing the radical preacher beating a Lebanese abductee, Mohammad Abu Zahr, in the Abra region in southern Lebanon has recently surfaced on the internet and drawn condemnations.

Sheikh Assir is a staunch supporter of Takfiri militants fighting the Syrian government. Takfiris dismiss most of Islamic sects as infidels. 

MRKD/BA