Nine years after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a seismic event in Lebanese history, the trial of four men accused of his killing opened Thursday in a special United Nations-backed court. 

However, the stand at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague was empty, with the suspects -- alleged associates of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah -- still on the run. 

Billionaire statesman Hariri was killed in February 2005 when a bomb struck his motorcade near the Beirut seafront. The blast ripped apart his armored car and destroyed the motorcade, killing 21 other people and wounding more than 200 others. 

It was a moment that changed Lebanese history, fueling the sectarian divisions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the Mediterranean country and leading to the withdrawal of Syrian troops. 

The special court investigating the assassination announced in February 2012 that Mustafa Badreddine, Salim Ayyash, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra would be tried in absentia. 

They face counts ranging from conspiracy to commit a terrorist act to murder and attempted murder. Hezbollah denies involvement. 

Hearing streamed live 

Presiding Judge David Re opened the trial, presenting the indictments against the accused. Thursday's hearing also included the prosecution's opening statements, expected to continue until Friday, according to the official Twitter account of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. 

"This is a historic day for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as it marks the transition from complex and difficult investigations to the new phase of trial," said Marten Youssef, a spokesman for the tribunal. 
How many people were held responsible?
the trial of four men accused of his killing opened 