The main entrance of the US embassy in Awkar, north of Beirut, which was targeted by gunfire on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese police announced on Monday evening that they had arrested the presumed perpetrator of the shots fired at the US Embassy in Awkar on Wednesday, Sept. 20. Armed with a Kalashnikov, the 26 year old Lebanese national, shooter fired over a dozen bullets at the building that evening, causing no injuries.
In a statement released late on Monday via X, formerly Twitter, the Internal Security Forces (ISF) stated that the detained man "admitted to being the perpetrator of the shots fired at the US Embassy in Awkar" and that he had been arrested in Kafaat, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The weapon he used during the attack was seized, and an investigation has been initiated, the ISF added.
Embassy thanks 'local authorities'
The embassy spokesperson, Jake Nelson, sent this statement to L'Orient Today: "We thank the local authorities for their swift and thorough investigation," adding that he does not wish to make further comments on the matter.
The shooting coincided with the anniversary of a deadly 1984 car bombing outside an annex of the US Embassy in Beirut, which Washington has attributed to Hezbollah, supported by Iran.
US diplomatic and military missions in Lebanon were attacked multiple times during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90), during which Islamists also abducted several American citizens. The embassy was relocated to Awkar after a suicide bombing in April 1983 killed 63 people.
