BEIRUT, Lebanon, October 2 (Lebanonwire) -- A vigilant neighbor helped save the life of The judge presiding over the Al-Madina bank money-laundering probe tied to the Rafic Hariri investigation, AL-Mustakal daily reported Sunday.

Nazim Khoury, a Baabda criminal judge who had previously received threats against his life and whose son was almost kidnapped from school, heard his female neighbor screaming around 1:00 am Saturday  in his parking garage where several individuals had broken into his car and were preparing to wire it with explosives, the daily said.

Khoury rushed to the source of the commotion to find four suspects in one car and another two on a motorcycle fleeing the scene and immediately called the police, who found a toolkit consisting of a battery and wires inside the engine. The incident comes days after LBC journalist May Chidiak narrowly escaped an attempt against her life, when her car exploded on September 25, the 14th bombing of its kind since November of last year.

Khoury had on two separate occasions reported receiving telephone threats “in a non-Lebanese accent” from a phone booth in Jounieh saying “you will see blood on your face.” And in another incident, someone tried to kidnap his five year-old son from summer camp when someone called saying to get the kid ready to go home, raising the suspicions of teacher who called Khoury’s home only to find that no such request was ever made.

Khoury had sealed shut Al Madina Bank and Credit Union in Hamra and Verdun last August in order to prevent further disappearence of files and documentation regarding illegal wire transfers tied to a money-laundering probe, where millions were allegedly siphoned in connection with the Hariri investigation.

Khoury is also tasked with another sensitive case involving the illegal use of public funds to import and sell oil derivatives. Bomb experts worked with detectives on the scene as an official investigation was launched by Jean Fahd, a military court assigned judge.

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