A protestor in front of the Justice Palace in Beirut demanding the release of two detained activists. (Photo credit: Mohammad Yassin/OLJ)
BEIRUT - Demonstrators arrested Monday evening in front of the Justice Palace were later released from army custody with injuries, according to several social news networks and a witness from the scene.
The protesters were participating in a demonstration to demand the release of Abdel Rahman Zakaria and Mohammad Rustom, two activists who aided depositor Sali Hafez when she held up a Blom Bank branch in Sodeco, Beirut, last week to recover her own blocked funds.
According to Daleel Thawra and Thawra Map, 18 protesters were arrested, four of whom were later spotted in Martyrs' Square with injuries. According to the witness contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, at least two protesters were transferred to a hospital. In videos posted on social networks, rescue workers with the Lebanese Red Cross can be seen helping the injured in Martyrs' Square.
A spokesperson for the Lebanese Army could not immediately be reached for comment.
Earlier in the day, the army announced via Twitter that four soldiers were injured while trying to "preserve security" near the Justice Palace in Beirut. The army also said protesters destroyed an army vehicle and a number of "civil cars," which "forced" the army to arrest some "trouble makers" and to shoot live ammunition in the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd.