Tuesday, February 15 2005 12:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beirut: Lebanon was in mourning today (Feb 15, 2005) after five-time Prime Minister and billionaire tycoon Rafiq Hariri was assassinated in Beirut in a huge bomb blast that stoked fears of fresh sectarian strife 15 years after the end of the civil war.

Lebanon's anti-Syrian Opposition quickly blamed the Governments in Beirut and Damascus of responsibility for the assassination of Hariri, who was killed along with at least nine other people when the explosion ripped through his motorcade.

About 100 people were also wounded in the blast that left a trail of carnage and devastation in a busy seafront area in scenes reminiscent of the 1975-1990 war.

Media reports said that the blast was caused by a car bomb and a hitherto unknown Islamic group claimed responsibility for what it said was a suicide attack to avenge Hariri's close ties with the Saudi regime.

But Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, half-brother of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, expressed doubt about the authenticity of the group and called for an independent enquiry into the attack.

The dead included one of the bodyguards of the 60-year-old rags-to riches Sunni Muslim who resigned as Prime Minister four months ago in a row over Syrian dominance of Lebanon.

The attack plunged Lebanon into grief and raised worries about the stability of the country, which is treading a delicate path between its Sunni, Shiite and Christian communities.