The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) announced that the suspect in the death of one of its members in Choueifat, a security official of the Lebanese Democratic Party, has fled the country, at a time when political and religious efforts were continuing to prevent an escalating crisis and a possible Druze strife in the Chouf Mountain. While the available information indicated that the suspect, Amin al-Souqi, has escaped to Syria, Marwan Abi Faraj of PSP’s Choueifat department accused the president of the Democratic Party, former Minister Talal Arslan, of facilitating the escape of the accused. In comments on Wednesday, Arslan said: “Those who are with me, I handed over, those who aren’t with me, it’s not my job to go find them…” Alaa Abu Faraj, a civil defense volunteer and a PSP member, was killed on Tuesday in a clash over parliamentary elections results. The dispute in the Choueifat region erupted between supporters of the rival PSP and Lebanese Democratic Party, and escalated into a shootout and a hand grenade was thrown at a PSP center in the area. The Lebanese Army continued on Wednesday the arrest operations of those involved in the dispute. The head of the PSP Walid Jumblatt tweeted in this regard: “I commend the work and efforts of the military intelligence in arresting the perpetrators of the crime of Choueifat, and I condemn all irresponsible voices that call for incitement.” Arab Tawhid Party Chief and Former Minister Wiam Wahhab on Thursday held phone talks with Jumblatt and expressed his readiness to contact authorities in Damascus in a bid to hand over Souqi. “Some are saying that the criminal Amin al-Souqi has fled to Syria. If this is true, I will mediate with the Syrian state to extradite him and hand him over to the Lebanese state in order to prevent bloodshed, as bloodshed is prohibited in Mount Lebanon,” Wahhab said.