BEIRUT: The leader of an Al Qaeda-linked group that carried out attacks across the Middle East before shifting its focus to Syria’s civil war died on Saturday while in custody in Lebanon, the army said.

In a short statement, the Lebanese army said Majid al-Majid “died this morning while undergoing treatment at the central military hospital after his health deteriorated.” It did not elaborate.

Earlier, a Lebanese army general said that al-Majid died after suffering kidney failure. He was speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. State-run National News Agency said al-Majid died “after his health conditions deteriorated”.

Al-Majid, a Saudi citizen, was detained in Lebanon late last month and had been held at a secret location.

He was the purported commander of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades — a militant group with Al Qaeda links — and one of the 85 most-wanted individuals in his native Saudi Arabia.—AP