Hariri murder may be tied to 14 others

Washington Times:

The chief U.N. investigator into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri told the Security Council yesterday that he was seeking links between that death and the killings of 14 other critics of the Syrian regime.
Serge Brammertz also asked for an extension and expansion of his mandate and said he had received generally satisfactory cooperation from Syria.
The international inquiry has already determined many of the facts behind the Feb. 14, 2005, assassination of Mr. Hariri, which also killed 22 others, Mr. Brammertz said in a report to the council. However, the identities of the people or groups behind it are still largely unknown.
He said his group's probes of the 14 other killings -- all believed to be connected to the victims' outspoken rejection of Syrian interference in Lebanon -- were largely stalled.
Mr. Brammertz said he has been examining the cases with two objectives -- to solve the individual murders, and to establish any connections among them.
"Analytically, the cases can be linked in a number of different ways and from varying perspectives, notably in the similarities in the modus operandi, and their intent." he said, "However, in terms of evidence, none of the cases is developed to an extent that would allow identification and linking of perpetrators."

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They could also draw a tighter noose around the Syrians. The Syrian government had the means and the motive and there is evidence that it threatened to do exactly what was done. I would say that is a good start on evidence of guilt.