BEIRUT — A man suspected of several counts of alleged rape and molestation of children was arrested on Tuesday in al-Qaa, a village in the Bekaa district near the Syrian border.
Here’s what we know:
• The Lebanese Army Intelligence arrested the suspect, in his 50s, who allegedly sexually assaulted and raped several children in the village, the exact number of which is still under investigation.
• According to L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the Bekaa, Sarah Abdallah, the man drugged his victims before attacking them. The case was discovered when one of the children told his parents about his attack, prompting several other victims to speak out.
• The mayor of al-Qaa, Bachir Mattar, condemned these attacks and told L’Orient Today that the suspect does not benefit from “any political protection,” calling on the police to also follow the origin of the drugs used by the suspect.
• “The municipality and the local community will provide psychological support to child victims,” he announced.