Conflict Incident Report

The Internal Security Forces announced Sunday the arrest of three persons on suspicion of involvement in a series of money transfer shop robberies across Beirut and Baabda.

The suspects reportedly robbed Online Money Transfer (OMT) shops in Beirut’s UNESCO area and in Baabda’s Laylaki, as well as a cell phone shop in Hadath.

The suspects, all Lebanese nationals, were identified as M.Sh., born in 1966, M.D., born in 1999 and Kh.D., born in 1991.

ISF reported that M.Sh. was arrested by “special forces” on Feb. 23 while he was at a Beirut hospital. When ISF personnel searched the suspect’s home in Chouf’s Jiyyeh, they reportedly found a pistol, a gun, 630 grams of hashish, a digital scale, empty baggies and a number of “stolen cell phones.”

The ISF statement noted that a simultaneous operation was carried out in Beirut’s Verdun area, during which the two other suspects were arrested at their home, where a quantity of hashish, 12 small baggies and three stolen internet recharge cards were found.

All of the suspects reportedly confessed to stealing from the UNESCO OMT shop on Feb. 21 using a black car, which, the statement said, the ISF had seized.

They also reportedly confessed to robbing the cell phone shop and the Laylaki OMT.

The suspects were referred to the judiciary, and ISF said work was underway to arrest others involved in the robberies.

On Saturday, the ISF announced the arrest of three other suspected OMT thieves, noting that the crackdown came as a result of a spike in robberies targeting these establishments.