Uniforms of Lebanese Civil Defense members. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — The head of Beirut's Civil Defense center, Walid Hachach, was briefly detained for questioning at the Syrian-Lebanese border on Thursday evening, a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour following media reports that the official had been arrested.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Directorate General of Civil Defense said Hachach, who was "on official administrative leave," arrived at the Syrian-Lebanese border from Syrian territory on Thursday after participating in a sporting event.
He was then arrested for questioning by Syrian authorities, before being released on Friday.
"Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi was informed of this case," according to the statement.
The reasons for Hachach's detention were not specified in the statement, and Civil Defense was not immediately available to provide further details.
Local media reported Hachach was riding a bicycle with a group of friends at the time of his arrest and that he was the only one of the group to be detained, but L'Orient Today could not confirm these reports.