Canberra : An Australian man was arrested in Lebanon for alleged links to a terrorist group, a media report said on Tuesday.
According to Lebanese officials, Talaat Hawatt was suspected of being linked to the Islamic State (IS) group or a similar extremist group, ABC reported.
However, speaking in Sydney, Hawatt’s uncle Rodney confirmed that his nephew had been detained but said Lebanese authorities had made a mistake as his nephew was not a terrorist.
He said his nephew was in northern Lebanon to get married and the authorities had jumped to the wrong conclusions about his motives for being in the area.
He said he was with his nephew in 2010 in Thailand when Hawatt was reportedly arrested in an alleged shooting incident.
Hawatt had returned after a night out to a hotel where the pair was staying.
He was described as being in an “alcoholic rage” when he allegedly shot into his uncle’s hotel room door.
Hawatt was reportedly charged with carrying a gun without a licence and shooting a firearm in public. The outcome of the case is not known.
His uncle said the pair had not spoken since the incident but he had been in contact with relatives in Lebanon.