Depositor Abed Soubra appears on a cell phone as he carries out a bank holdup in Beirut's Tariq al-Jadideh neighborhood on Sept. 16. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
Armed with fake and real weapons alike, increasing numbers of angry depositors are trying to access their savings, which have been blocked in Lebanon’s banks since 2019.Five holdups took place on Friday, two on Wednesday and three others in recent months. The list could continue to grow.In most cases, these people have turned themselves in to security forces — some have been released and others remain in custody — or are on the run.But what is the real risk for those leading the bank heists, people who only want their own money back? Indeed, they are often widely supported by a population fed up with unregulated banking restrictions, while those responsible for the financial collapse are still at large. Read more: Protesters demand release of two detained activists involved in Blom Bank holdup For Akram Azouri, a criminal lawyer,...
Armed with fake and real weapons alike, increasing numbers of angry depositors are trying to access their savings, which have been blocked in Lebanon’s banks since 2019.Five holdups took place on Friday, two on Wednesday and three others in recent months. The list could continue to grow.In most cases, these people have turned themselves in to security forces — some have been released and others remain in custody — or are on the run.But what is the real risk for those leading the bank heists, people who only want their own money back? Indeed, they are often widely supported by a population fed up with unregulated banking restrictions, while those responsible for the financial collapse are still at large. Read more: Protesters demand release of two detained activists involved in Blom Bank holdup For Akram Azouri, a criminal...