Policemen and their vehicles in Beirut. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP/File photo)
BEIRUT — Police arrested two men suspected of killing a Lebanese citizen in the Beirut suburb of Burj Hammoud last month in an attempt to steal his vehicle, the Internal Security Forces (ISF) reported on Monday.
According to the ISF statement, the 57-year-old victim was staying with his brother in Dekwaneh, near Beirut, on June 30, the night of the crime. ISF said that the man had met one of the suspects two months earlier and had visited his home, without explaining the nature of their relationship or the reason for the visit. The two suspects allegedly planned to steal the victim's vehicle, a Toyota FJ Cruiser all-terrain vehicle, the statement added.
The alleged murderers then convinced the victim to go to their home, before strangling him to death and stealing the vehicle keys. However, they failed to locate the car and left the scene of the crime, before heading to Halat, a town on the coast near Jbeil, where they took refuge in a chalet.
According to the ISF, the victim's body was found in Burj Hammoud on July 1. Investigators were then able to determine his identity and find the presumed murderers. Car key and drugs were found at the chalet. The car that the suspects attempted to steal was found within the crime zone.
The ISF statement added that the two suspects, Syrian nationals, were preparing to flee Lebanon for their home country.