Al Jazeera interviews head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, on the deadly car bomb in Achrafiyeh which killed security official Wissam al Hassan. Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- The bomb that ripped through a calm and urbane neighborhood in the heart of Beirut on Friday killed a top Lebanese intelligence official, unearthing fears of a spillover from Syria's civil war. Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, the chief of the Internal Security Forces Information Branch, was targeted and killed, Lebanese news media reported. The attack killed at least eight other people and injured more than 90. It is not clear whether al-Hassan is counted in that death toll. Al-Hassan is an iconic anti-Syrian government Sunni. His killing brings a sense of deja vu to Lebanese recalling the assassination of a former prime minister seven years ago and the turmoil that followed. He is aligned with a political movement opposing Syria's government and is head of the branch investigating Lebanese politician Michel Samaha, who is accused of planning attacks in Lebanon with two Syrian officials. Blast in 'Christian area' of Beirut Fatal car bomb rocks Beirut Andrew Tabler, a expert on Syria and Lebanon at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the bombing is "a message from Damascus to stay away from Michel Samaha and Syrian allies." Samaha is a controversial figure with close ties to Damascus. Al-Hassan's unit recorded him planning attacks. A military court accused Samaha of <b>...</b> Related article