ISF arrests suspect in fatal stone-throwing incident near Beirut's airport. (Credit: ISF)
BEIRUT — The Internal Security Forces’ (ISF) Information Branch arrested a man accused of throwing rocks at passing cars in Beirut’s Sports City area, an incident that led to the death of a motorist earlier this month, the ISF said Wednesday. The arrest comes amid renewed calls for increased security along the road to Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport (RHIA), where similar incidents have been reported in the past and where local authorities have disputed responsibility for monitoring the area.
The suspect, a Lebanese national, identified by his initials as A.F. and born in 1998, was arrested in Sabra on Tuesday following surveillance operations, according to the ISF. On Sept. 12, 51-year-old Mohammad Hamzeh was driving a Renault Rapid in the Sports City area when a large rock struck his vehicle, injuring him. He later died from his injuries, the ISF said.
According to the ISF statement, the suspect would walk to the area from Sabra, throw rocks at passing cars, and immediately leave the scene. Investigators eventually identified him and determined that he had shaved his beard after the incident in an attempt to alter his appearance.
During preliminary questioning, the suspect admitted to throwing rocks in the Sports City area, according to the ISF. He claimed that he would do so when he felt “pain and stress” and that he felt relieved afterward. He said he had not intended to kill anyone, the statement added. The ISF said that on Monday, the suspect also threw a rock at a passing car in Sabra, causing material damage.
The ISF did not comment on L'Orient Today's repeated requests for comment on the matter.
ISF will 'continue to take necessary measures around airport road'
In a statement Wednesday, the office of Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad Hajjar said that the suspect “admitted to committing this act," adding that investigations remain ongoing under the supervision of the competent judiciary to determine the full circumstances and motives.
Hajjar said that the ISF would “continue to take the necessary measures around the airport road, strengthen monitoring and follow-up to prevent these acts from recurring and ensure the safety of citizens and passersby.”
But questions remain over which local authority is responsible for monitoring the area. Ghobeiry municipality head Ahmad Khansa told L’Orient Today Wednesday that responsibility for "following up on the matter and taking measures falls under Beirut’s municipality." L’Orient Today contacted a source at Beirut municipality, who insisted that the area falls under Ghobeiry municipality.
Additionally, Khansa told L’Orient Today that Ghobeiri Municipality does not have the capacity or resources to deploy additional patrols along the airport road, saying its staff are already stretched thin, adding that the municipality’s resources are currently focused on traffic signaling and enforcing municipal violations. He also noted that "international roads such as the airport road fall under the jurisdiction of the Internal Security Forces, rather than municipalities."
Calls for increased patrols and surveillance
For his part, Beirut MP Fouad Makhzoumi had also called on security authorities on Tuesday to investigate the incidents and increase patrols and surveillance in the area, in a post on X.
Makhzoumi said that repeated incidents involving rocks and heavy objects being thrown at vehicles, particularly around the old airport road and more recently the Sports City area, “threaten the lives and safety of citizens” and require an urgent security response. The ISF said the investigation remains ongoing under the supervision of the competent judiciary.
The incident is not the first reported case of objects being thrown at vehicles on the road to Beirut’s airport. In April 2024, several similar incidents, including a case in which a concrete block was thrown from a bridge and struck a motorist’s windshield. The incidents at the time prompted then-Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi to announce a security plan that included increasing patrols along the airport road.