Lebanon has released on bail an activist allied with the Syrian opposition whose arrest had set off violent clashes that killed at least eight people. Shadi Al-Moulawi, who Sunni Islamists in Tripoli say was aiding Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon, was charged with membership in a terrorist organization when he was detained earlier this month. But Al-Moulawi was released on Tuesday on bail of 500,000 Lebanese pounds ($333), although he is forbidden to leave the country and the charges against him still stand. Lebanon has been divided over the unrest in Syria, with Sunnis generally siding with the opposition. Syria, which has demanded Lebanon cut the cross-border flow of arms to rebels, has significant influence over parts of Lebanon’s security apparatus. Anger over Al-Moulawi’s arrest led Islamists in the north into the streets of Tripoli, where they clashed with Alawites aligned with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad The unrest spread to Beirut, where two people were killed this week.
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