French police have arrested a key Syrian witness in a United Nations probe of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Police say Muhammad al-Siddiq was arrested Sunday outside Paris, and is expected to be extradited to Beirut in the near future.
Lebanese media reports say Mr. al-Siddiq has claimed to have participated in a meeting of Lebanese security officials who allegedly designed the assassination plan. Syrian officials claim he is unreliable.
A report from the U.N.-appointed prosecutor probing the assassination is expected to implicate Syrian officials in the February 14 bombing that killed Mr. Hariri and 20 others in Beirut.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he will wait to read a report due next week from prosecutor Detlev Mehlis before deciding whether to extend the probe to December, as requested last week by Lebanese lawmakers.