Al-Akhbar Lebanese daily published the nature of affairs of “Israeli” agent Tareq Al Rabaa for nine years, during his employment as a telecommunication engineer in the Lebanese Alfa GSM company, and how he was recruited by the “Israeli” enemy.
The newspaper mentioned the following:
The “Israeli” intelligence’s relation with its agent Tareq Al Rabaa exceeded locating the resistance positions or taking pictures of bridges, where Al Rabaa conducted telecoms network schemes, planned by the enemy.
In May 2009, “Israeli” intelligence officer, Leonel Martinez, and an “Israeli” telecoms engineer, requested from agent Al Rabaa during a meeting with him in France, to conduct a big project in Lebanon.
This project includes installing a tower, known as a “back bone”, on top of one of the buildings in the Mar Taqla area in the Lebanese Hazmiyeh region.
The condition was that old devices should be installed over that tower, which should be connected to the telecommunication headquarters in Alfa, Sin Al Fiel area, and in another third location, and in return, Al Rabaa will be granted $100 thousand.
In the beginning, Tareq said that it is hard to purchase and equip a tower with old tools and devices, but the “Israeli” engineer insisted on Al Rabaa, so the latter promised to do what he could.
When Al Rabaa came back to Beirut, Mar Taqla area, he tried to convince some of the building owners in the area to install a tower on top of their building, yet his requests were refused.
Al Rabaa informed his “Israeli” employers of the result.
After that, Tareq Al Rabaa went to an area in Hazmiyeh, 800 meters away from the first location in Mar Taqla, and there he found an owner who accepted his request to install a tower on top of the building.
In 2010, Al Rabaa was asked to look for a “back bone” that would connect him to the location of the mobile phone transmitter station, which connects Dahr Al Baydar and Beirut, in order to wiretap phones in the Bikaa region.
Al Rabaa was incapable of starting with this project, because Leonel retired, and before he was able to meet Leonel’s successor, the Lebanese army intelligence arrested Charbel Kazzi on 24-6-2010.
After Kazzi’s arrest, Tarq Al Rabaa was afraid he would meet the same fate, which pushed him to destroy all communication devices which used to keep him in touch with his “Israeli” employers, before the army arrested him.
His Recruitment
In 2001, Tareq Al Rabaa received a phone call from someone abroad, someone who introduced himself as “Michel Manio”, saying that he is talking on behalf of an employment company and works for a major international company.
Manio told Al Rabaa that he wants to recruit him in a very important company, adding that head of employee affairs will be contacting him to talk to him about details.
After a short while, a lady called Al Rabaa and explained that she is talking from a Finish telecoms company, and wants his help in planning and drawing networks. Manio called Tareq after a while, and invited him for a meeting in Cyprus.
During the meeting, Manio asked Tareq about the nature of his work in Cellis (which is now known as Alfa telecoms. Company), then introduced him to his manager, “Miguel Aydo”, who interviewed him.
Aydo then gave Al Rabaa the company’s website, and asked him to conduct a study about a specific type of telecoms network.
After returning to Lebanon, Tareq worked on completing the study, working on it two hours a day for two months. When he was done with it, he emailed Miguel Aydo, who asked Tareq to meet him in France, in 2002.
Tareq handed his study to Aydo in return for $1500, in addition to travel and resident expenses. Tareq expressed resentment to the low price he received in return for his study, and then returned to Beirut.
Couple of days later, Manio called Al Rabaa and told him that Aydo was satisfied with his work, but Al Rabaa refused to work for them.
Aydo then called Al Rabaa and asked to meet him in Holland to settle the misunderstanding concerning the money given to Tareq in return of his work.
In their meeting, which took place by end of 2002 in Amsterdam, Tareq met with his “manager” who then gave Tareq $5000 for the study, and both sides agreed on constant communication.
The following meeting took place in Thailand, and as usual, Aydo took care of the expenses of the hotel reservations and the flight ticket.
When they met, they went on a public bus, and then Aydo started asking Al Rabaa about the Cellis Company, with further requests on details about his work.
Tareq complained that he does not receive any promotions, and that he wants to quit his job, but Aydo urged Tarq to stay in Cellis, gave him $2000, and then asked him not to tell anyone they are meeting.
Although Tareq did not understand the reason behind this request, he didn’t feel suspicious to the extent to break up the relation.
In the testimony he presented before the intelligence investigators in the army, Tareq always mentioned the meeting in which Aydo did not request anything, although he gave him some big amounts of money.
For example, Aydo requested a meeting with Tareq in Turkey in 2003, and then gave him an amount of $6000. Al Rabaa confirmed that in their meeting, they did not talk about anything serious.
The following year, both sides met in France, but this time, in a more serious atmosphere, where Aydo introduced Tareq to Leonel Martinez, and claimed the latter to be the auditor of the company.
The year after, another meeting took place in France, but this time only with Martinez, who informed Al Rabaa that Aydo has passed away in a motorcycle accident, and from then on, Martinez will be following up with Tareq.
Tareq was subject to a polygraph machine test during that meeting, and was asked several questions, including whether he has told anyone about his meetings with Aydo, and whether he dealt with Lebanese security firms or with the resistance.
By the end of the test, Leonel told Tareq that he had failed in the test, saying that he was from the NATO intelligence, and wanted him to work for them, but they don’t need him anymore.
Communication stopped between Tareq and Martinez until March 2005, where Leonel once again called Tareq and asked him to meet in Athens.
The meeting aimed at restoring relations with Al Rabaa.
Martinez, along with another engineer, asked Tareq about the status of the Alfa Company (previously known for Cellis), and about the bids it’s conducting to buy new devices and equipments.
Tareq answered the questions, and then referred that he will do his best so that the bid will adopt Alcatel.
Three meetings were held between both sides before Leonel gave Tareq an amount of $ 10 thousand, and scheduled another meeting within 2 months in Copenhagen, hoping that Al Rabaa will bring more information.
In August 2005, Tareq met Leonel in the Danish capital, and a meeting was scheduled with head of the intelligence agency, a man in his sixties, who goes by the name of “Patrick Antonelli”.
Tareq complained to Antonelli about the polygraph test he was subject to, requesting an increase in the money he was receiving. Patrick promised that the amount of money will be increased, affirming to Tareq that his career future is with them.
Tareq told Leonel and the engineer that when he went back to Beirut from Athens, he was surprised that the Alfa Company was deciding on signing a deal with the Siemens Company, which has presented a better deal than Alcatel.
Tareq said that he argued with his Alfa manger, Felix Wass, and asked him to check all Siemens devices to know whether they meet the company’s needs.
Leonel then stressed on Tareq not to get into any dispute with the Alfa Company, and should do whatever he is requested. Leonel afterwards gave Tareq an amount of $10 thousand.
Meetings between both sides continued on being held each two months, in which Tareq gave out all information he could gather about the Alfa Company, and in each meeting, Tareq used to be given an amount of money not less than $8000.
In May 2006, Al Rabaa presented a detailed explanation for his employer about the back bone of the Alfa Company, in addition to a detailed map for all stations and all available information.
During the July 2006 war, Leonel called Al Rabaa, and asked him to go to the Alfa Company so that the administration would not think that he doesn’t care.
After war, Leonel Martinez asked Tareq to locate the damages that affected the telecoms network, and the locations which were bombed, in addition to Tareq’s car register number, which he uses in Lebanon.
Tareq did what he was asked to, and in the following meeting, he was asked to give the names of all working employers in the Alfa Company, and all information he could purchase about them.
Tareq Al Rabaa gathered the requested information after he came to Beirut, and then presented them in a USB device in the next meeting.
In 2007, Tareq set a plan to expand the Alfa Company, and gave his outline to Leonel.
Tareq also presented a study to the Alfa Company, to spread the Company’s towers in the south, where he proposed to adopt Alcatel devices.
In January 2009, Leonel brought along to Turkey a new engineer called “Collin”, who on his part requested from Tareq details related to the company’s operating systems.
Al Rabaa informed Collin of the new bid to install new devices in south Lebanon, adding that his company had two choices: either adopting Alcatel company for equipping, or to get the equipments from the Chinese Hawawi Company.
In this level, Leonel stressed that the Chinese company’s request should be rejected, and the old equipments in the south should remain, and if wanted to be renewed, it should be with Alcatel equipments.
The “Israelis” achieved what they wanted, for the stations in south Lebanon were equipped with Alcatel devices, the company which also equipped Alfa with devices for tens of stations in Beirut and its suburbs.
During one of the meetings, Leonel Martinez stressed that the southern network shouldn’t be subject to extra protective systems, in order to maintain the ability of wiretapping.
Tareq on this level told Leonel that Hizbullah does not use the mobile network, or the landline, adding that it has its own network. Leonel then said, “We have recruits all over the south, and we want to protect them”.
In May 2009, Tareq was requested to install a back bone in Mar Taqla, and when he failed to install it in the requested location, they insisted on knowing the reasons, which they did not believe any of.
In further meeting, Al Rabaa was subject to many polygraph tests, and was informed that he hadn’t passed any of them.
In April 2010, Leonel called Tareq and asked to meet him, along with another engineer, who asked Al Rabaa to look for a back bone that would connect him to the location of the mobile phone transmitter station, which connects Dahr Al Baydar with Beirut, in order to wiretap phones in the Bikaa region.
Tareq said that this request was hard, but he will do his best to achieve what they needed.
The following day, a meeting was held between Tareq and Leonel, during which the latter informed Al Rabaa that he will retire and that someone else will communicate with him via internet, and then Leonel gave Tareq $20 thousand.
Tareq Al Rabaa came back to Beirut, at the time when the Lebanese army intelligence arrested his colleague Cahrbel Kazzi, for the charge of dealing with the “Israeli” intelligence.
Tareq felt terrified, and then destroyed all devices given to him by Leonel Martinez.
Eighteen days later, Tareq Al Rabaa was arrested.
Tareq told the army intelligence, that he doubted that his employers were not part of the NATO, but rather were from the “Israeli” Mossad.
He said that he searched their named on the internet but couldn’t find any of them, but these doubts did not lead him to break up his relations with them.