3 French Policemen Charged in Arms Case
The chief bodyguard at the French Embassy in Beirut and two other policemen were charged Sunday in connection with the smuggling of arms from Lebanon into France, Justice Ministry sources said.
Jean-Claude Labourdette, head of the Beirut embassy guards, Patrick Jacquin and Jean-Noel Lebat were charged with violating laws banning the purchase, possession and sale of military weapons.
All three are members of France’s feared CRS riot police. Labourdette, 48, headed a unit of heavily armed bodyguards set up after the French ambassador was assassinated in 1981 to escort diplomats through war-torn Beirut.
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