Akram Jomaa welcomed with open arms in his village of Lala after his release. (Credit: OLJ, Source Unknown)
Kidnapping operations have increased recently in the Bekaa, perpetrated by kidnappers who target wealthy individuals in order to demand a ransom from their families in exchange for their release.
The latest of these incidents was the kidnapping of Akram Jomaa on April 27, on the road of the Litani irrigation pipeline, while he had parked his Lexus car to go jogging at 7 p.m. before iftar. A source from the village of Lala, Jomaa's home town, said the man tried to resist his kidnappers, who appeared to be inexperienced: they abandoned their broken down Škoda Rapid car in the middle of the road and took the victim in his own car to Baalbeck. His cellphones were found at the place where he was taken. However, it did not take more than a few hours for the army's secret service to free the hostage, who was taken to Ablah station to take his statement. He was then able to return to his village where he was given a warm welcome.
On the same day, the army succeeded in freeing Egyptian Sadiq Rolly, an accountant for the al-Sabbah production company, Cedars Art Production. He was kidnapped on April 16 on the Riyaq-Baalbeck road by armed individuals who rammed the vehicle carrying the film crew of a soap opera he was working on. The army searched the area for several days, and Rolly was finally released by his captors on April 27 in a field in Baalbeck, not far from Deir al-Ahmar. He was taken to a military center where he reportedly arrived in a state of extreme fear.
Kidnappings are not only increasing in number, but reveal a growing boldness on the part of armed groups. One of the kidnappers of the Egyptian accountant, nicknamed Mohammad Roma, even went so far as to allegedly send very explicit threatening messages to army intelligence. One of his recorded messages has been widely circulated in recent days. However, a security source interviewed by L'Orient-Le Jour denies that direct threats have been made to officers or soldiers.
This is not the first time, however, that such threats have been made against the military through recorded messages sent via WhatsApp groups. This is particularly the case whenever the military manages to free a kidnap victim. Last June, recorded threats were sent to the army's intelligence chief in the Bekaa, General Mohammad el-Amine, after clashes between the troops and gangs.
Beyond borders
The recent increase in kidnappings is reminiscent of other past incidents, such as the kidnapping of Lebanese expat and businessman Abdallah Nassereddine from his home in Kamed al-Loz, or that of Adnane Dabaja, also a businessman, in Qaraoun, who was later released. In this region, insecurity seems to have no limits.
Beyond the Bekaa, various groups seem to extend their activity to other regions. They recently managed to lure a young expat, Hassan Atoue, who was visiting his family in his village of Harouf, in the north of the country. They made him believe that they had a travel and tourism agency and arranged to meet him on the Hermel highway in the northern part of the Bekaa.
These incidents do not only concern Lebanese. On March 3, four armed men kidnapped the Syrian M.T. near the tourist site of Baalbeck. The profiles of the victims are also diverse. In mid-March, H.A., a scrap metal dealer and owner of a small business, was kidnapped by four armed individuals, also in the vicinity of the Baalbeck temples.
These numerous incidents, in which the protagonists often end up in Syria, have prompted a reaction from across the border. On April 25, Syrian law enforcement agencies searched a number of people suspected of involvement in kidnappings in Lebanon before returning to Syria, according to informed sources.
Among these suspects, the man mentioned above, Mohammad Roma, and his accomplices, including a certain H. Jaouhari. According to the same sources, the searches reached some Syrian villages inhabited by Lebanese, including Kafr Zita, al-Aakrabi and al-Samakiat. The Syrian security forces have succeeded in arresting several people (including Lebanese) who participated with the groups in luring victims into traps.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.