Lebanese Internal Security Forces officers in front of the courthouse in Beirut. (Credit: Hassan Ammar/AFP File Photo)
A group of unknown armed individuals intercepted a patrol vehicle from the Internal Security Forces Meshmesh police station in Akkar, northern Lebanon, on Thursday, while it was transporting a prisoner to a court session. The group managed to take the prisoner, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the north.
According to information obtained by our correspondent, the "group forcefully stopped the patrol vehicle, then proceeded to drag the prisoner out of the security vehicle at gunpoint. The assailants fired shots into the air to intimidate the officers, and then fled to an unknown location."
Initial reports suggest that the operation was carried out quickly and in a coordinated manner by the gang members.
Security forces have launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators, and efforts are underway to apprehend the escaped prisoner and the group responsible for the operation.
Since December 2022, following a series of security incidents, including fatal shootings, former caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi had announced a specific security plan for northern Lebanon. Police patrols were deployed in the streets for surveillance and control purposes. However, this plan has not prevented numerous incidents from occurring in the area.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak