The majority of the 174 rioters that were arrested were Syrian Nationals, over 43%. The remaining 34% were pro-Syrian Palestinians of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP-GC), a group based in Damascus, according to security officials.

The protests on Sunday against the publication of caricatures of Prophet Mohammad in European newspapers turned into riots and vandalism. Lebanese leaders, both Christians, Muslims and Druze reacted with condemnations.

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said "what happened today was an attack against Islam and the principles of the Holy Koran."

While he said he supported the cause of the protestors, Siniora stressed that there is a difference between expressing one's opinion and tampering with security, "a thing that does not have anything to do with Islam and religions ... especially since the protestors took a definite stand by taking up arms; consequently, they came for war."

He said: "The assaults harmed Dar al-Fatwa and every Muslim house before harming any of our Christian brothers and any Christian home."

Siniora told the Voice of Lebanon radio station that the Lebanese must unite to stop intruders from instigating divisions between the Lebanese.

Siniora said intruders "came to stir strife among the Lebanese themselves and between the Lebanese and the world."

"The demonstration was infiltrated by rogue elements (in reference to the Syrians and Palestinians) who had brought with them tear gas and fireworks to cause trouble. They were able to take control of some vehicles belonging to the ISF (Internal Security Forces) and the Lebanese Army," Siniora said in his statement to Future Television station.

Siniora called for the "support to end the problem at this level."

Siniora visited Beirut's Maronite Bishop Boulos Matar and Beirut's Orthodox Archbishop Elias Aoude before inspecting the Mar Maroun Church that was vandalized.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called for an immediate probe into the riots, saying "it is easy to exchange accusations, especially since the demonstration went out of control and supervisors did plan for what happened."

In a news conference, Nasrallah said: "A country cannot be governed by the logic of accusations and politicization." He added "The political climate is critical and should not be used to instigate sectarian strife," Nasrallah said.

Hezbollah released a brief statement in which the group reiterated their condemnation of the Danish and Norwegian newspapers and expressed support for the Muslims' rights to denounce the insult. However, the statement strongly objected to "any tampering with the security, rights and properties of the Lebanese, and the vandalism of religious institutions in a way that undermines national unity."

Druze Leader and Progressive Socialist Party president MP Walid Jumblatt, held the Syrian regime responsible for the riots, asking why vandalism only occurred in Lebanon and Syria.

In a news conference at his residence in Mukhtara, Shouf region, Jumblatt blamed "the Christian and Muslim religious authorities for failing to organize the protests beforehand."

He recalled Syrian President Bashar al Assad's statement that "if Syria is put under pressure, chaos will prevail in the region," and said that the riots in Lebanon were "a form of vengeance" against the Lebanese for ousting the Syrian forces.

According to Jumblatt, "the incident aimed to prove that the Lebanese are incapable of ruling themselves and need Syria's help."

Jumblatt asserted that "although the message of vandalism was delivered, we will not fall into the trap, as national unity is stronger than vandalism."

The head of the Future parliamentary bloc MP Saad Hariri urged the government to "face with firmness the attacks" and called on the judiciary "to inflict severe punishment against those who collaborated with the intruders who acted on orders of foreign forces."

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the "aggression against the Mar Maroun Church or any other church was the most serious incident." He added "The protestors, if they acted in defense of Muslims, through this act, they have drifted away from Islam just like the publishers of the newspapers that printed the caricatures."

Speaking to the Voice of Lebanon radio station, the speaker said that "those protesters should study their religion first before claiming to defend their religion."

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called for the resignation of Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa. Later in the evening Sabaa offered his resignation.

In a televised interview with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, Geagea thanked the residents of Ashrafiyeh for maintaining calm, despite the pressure.

He added: "The troublemakers were not Muslims. Muslims are represented by Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, the Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri and the Premier Fouad Siniora."

"The statistics clearly show who the perpetrators were, since more than one third of the rioters that were arrested were Syrians and another third were Palestinians, mostly from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine," Geagea added.

President Emile Lahoud warned against "any attempt to tamper with national unity," which he said is the "unique characteristic of Lebanon."

The pro-Syrian president strongly condemned the vandalism of the Mar Maroun Church in Gemmayzeh and the aggressions that accompanied the demonstration.

Government opposition leader, MP Michel Aoun blamed it all on the government. He demanded that the government should resign for its failure to "protect the citizens of Ashrafiyeh ... What happened is a plan to instigate strife in the country. The government should compensate the people who suffered from the riots," said Aoun while speaking at Mar Maroun Church.

UN Reaction

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called on Muslims to refrain from violence after protests in Lebanon, Syria and other Islamic nations over cartoons of the prophet Mohammad published in a newspaper in Denmark.

"Such resentment cannot justify violence, least of all when directed at people who have no responsibility for, or control over the publications in question," Annan said yesterday in a statement on the UN's Web site.

The 12 cartoons were first published in September in Denmark's largest broadsheet, Jyllands-Posten. They were reprinted in Norway, and last week appeared in newspapers and magazines in countries such as France, Germany Switzerland, Austria and Italy, where editors said they were defending freedom of expression.

Annan said, while he shared the distress felt by many at the publication of the cartoons, he is "alarmed by the threats and violence, including the attacks on embassies that have occurred in Syria and Lebanon and other countries."

Carsten Juste, editor-in-chief at Aarhus, Denmark-based Jyllands-Posten, apologized for offending Muslims in a statement on the newspaper's Web site Jan. 31.

Muslims should accept the apology given by the newspaper and act in the "true spirit of a religion famed for its values of mercy and compassion," Annan said in his statement, according to the UN.

Sources: Local media