Lebanese army detains IS leader's wife, son: media

BEIRUT, Dec - The Lebanese army has arrested a wife and a son of the Islamic State (IS) leader, Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi, a local newspaper said on Tuesday.

"The Lebanese intelligence managed after coordinating with foreign intelligence services in addressing a preemptive strike against the IS group by arresting one of Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi's wives and one of his sons at a border checkpoint," the Assafir Daily reported.

It added that the wife "was traveling with false identification papers and trying to enter Lebanon with her son."

In August, gunmen from the al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front and the IS attacked the Lebanese army posts in the border town of Arsal. After five days of fierce clashes, the gunmen withdrew back to Syria after taking with them at least 28 soldiers and policemen as hostages. The al-Nusra later executed two soldiers, while the IS beheaded another one.

Negotiations between the Lebanese government and fundamentalist groups are going on through a Qatari mediator, in a bid to release the hostages.

The IS has taken a large swath of land in Iraq and Syria, declaring a "caliphate" over the territory it controls.

Baghdadi, an Iraqi, has incited attacks against the rulers of Saudi Arabia in a recent speech.