Rafic Hariri: Car Bombing In Beirut

Part of the Series: Political Assassination Series

Son of a peasant worker, born in Saida on November 1, 1944 Rafic Hairiri leaves Lebanon at the age of 18 and builds an immense empire in Saudi Arabia. He serves twice as Prime Minister of Lebanon, from October 31st 1992 to December 2nd 1998 and then from October 23rd, 2000 through October 21, 2004. It is here where he uses his influential network for the goals of his country, although many of his critics point at unsound conflicts of interest between the politician and the business man. In 2004 he resigns as Prime Minister, rejecting the overpowering influence of the Syrian government on his country, exercised in particular through the very pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud. Then, on February 14th 2005, in spite of his armored car, a car bomb kills him and many other people. The assassination marks the beginning of the Cedar Revolution as well as to the creation of a UN investigative mission, and finally, the installation of an International Court of Justice to try the murderers of Rafic Hariri.