Al-Qaeda group leader Majid al-Majid dies in custody in Lebanon

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 yesterday while in custody in Lebanon, the army said.

In a 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 al-Majid died after suffering kidney failure. State-run National News Agency said al-Majid died "after his health conditions deteriorated".

Al-Majid 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 Sunni militant group with al-Qaeda links - and one of the 85 most-wanted individuals in his native Saudi Arabia.

The US State Department designated his group a foreign terrorist organisation in 2012, freezing any assets it holds in the United States and banning Americans from doing business with the group. The brigades have claimed responsibility for attacks throughout the region, including the 2010 bombing of a Japanese oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and several rocket strikes from Lebanon into Israel.