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Conflict Incident Report
Two were arrested over fake kidnapping in Bekaa
A man was arrested in the Bekaa region for faking his own kidnapping, after his son reported receiving a phone call from a Syrian number asking for ransom, according to an Internal Security Forces statement.
According to the statement, a Lebanese national identified as M.I. contacted authorities Friday, to report the alleged kidnapping of his father, also identified by the initials M.I.
When the ISF Information Division investigated the matter, they suspected the man did not go to Hermel alone, like his son had claimed. Instead, they found he was accompanied by his brother-in-law - Lebanese national I.F., born in 1987 - to Mazraat al-Chouf
ISF arrested the elder M.I., who admitted to fabricating his own kidnapping to avoid paying off debts. I.F. was also arrested, and had admitted to dropping off his brother-in-law in Mazraat al-Chouf and not telling anyone of his whereabouts, according to the statement.
It was not immediately clear from the statement whether the suspect’s son had prior knowledge of the plan.