Conflict Incident Report

BEIRUT: The Internal Security Forces arrested an armed gang accused of stealing large amounts of money and valuables, the force said in a statement. The ISF said the gang, arrested, comprised two Lebanese nationals identified as 45-year-old W.Aa. and 53-year-old Kh.Aa., and a Syrian, identified as 53-year-old M.D. According to the statement, the three men broke into houses and businesses around Mount Lebanon to steal money and valuables. They were also reported to have held people hostage at gunpoint. Arrests took place in the town of Khaldeh and the Chouf town of Saadiyat. The suspects confessed to 12 armed robberies in the Mount Lebanon area and four in Beirut. They also admitted to impersonating security officers, forging Lebanese identification documents and impounding two vehicles used during various heists. Some of the stolen items were recovered at the suspects’ homes in the Mount Lebanon towns of Aramoun, Deir Qoubel and Saadiyat the statement read.