Security Sources told Naharnet Hamadeh Mahmoud Haj Ahmad, a Syrian national, was driving the vehicle at high speed, and refused to slow down upon instructions from soldiers manning a checkpoint near the airport.

"He smashed the obstacles and drove through the checkpoint waving his middle finger at soldiers," one source told Naharnet.

The troops fired "warning shots, and when the driver failed to pull over they fired at the tires of the vehicle, which was being driven at speed and smashed into a wall. Hussein Karaki, a Lebanese citizen who was sitting next to the driver, was killed and Haj ahmad was seriously wounded," the source added.

He said Haj Ahmad was admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment, while troops were searching the deserted car, a Mercedes Benz with a red-colored taxi name plate .

Police reported that the Syrian driver Hamadeh Mahmoud Haj Ahmad died later at the hospital.

An investigation was launched to determine if the death resulted from the gunshot wounds or because of the crash.

The source noted that non-Lebanese are banned by law from driving taxi cabs "which raises questions as why Haj Ahmad, a Syrian, was driving a commuting vehicle owned by a Lebanese citizen."

Registration documents show that the car is owned by Lebanese citizen Ali Mohammed Fares who would be interrogated to find out why his vehicle was being used by a foreigner, the source told Naharnet.

In a separate development unidentified assailants tossed off a hand grenade from a speeding car in Beirut's Barbir district late Sunday, wounding at least five people.

Lebanese troops and police officers have erected hundreds of checkpoints in Beirut and other cities to tighten security following what appears to be a series of bomb blasts aimed at destabilizing Lebanon.

Fatah al-Islam, a terrorist faction fighting the Lebanese army in the north, has vowed to strike at other areas.

Lebanese authorities say Fatah al-Islam is a Syrian-sponsored terrorist organization. Syria denies the claim

Picture: Lebanese soldiers secure the scene near a vehicle, a Mercedes Benz taxi, which crashed on a pavement in Beirut, Lebanon Monday, May 28, 2007. Troops opened fire Monday on the speeding car that failed to stop at a checkpoint outside Beirut international airport

Sources: Naharnet, Ya Libnan