The Lebanese community remains in shock due to a horrific crime that occurred in a southern village, unprecedented in the country for decades. The details revealed so far regarding the murder of three sisters along with their mother in the town of Ansar have intensified the tragedy.
Investigations have revealed how the perpetrator, "Hussein Fayyad," lured the sisters Rima, Tala, and Manal Safawi, along with their mother Basima Abbas, to leave their home and killed them in the dark of night. It appears that the accused, who is currently detained, had planned the crime in advance and called upon a Syrian national to assist him as well.
### Invitation to Dinner
Data shows that Fayyad, who was in a relationship with the 20-year-old Tala, convinced the family on the evening of March 2, during a stormy and rainy weather, to go out for dinner. After some hesitation, the young women and their mother agreed to go for sandwiches at a nearby location, according to local newspaper An-Nahar citing informed sources.
However, the driver took the victims to a location near a cave, where the bodies were later found in the vicinity of the southern town, where Hassan Al-Ghannash (a Syrian national) was waiting to assist Fayyad in the crime.
Upon arrival, the perpetrator asked the mother and daughters to exit the vehicle under the pretext of wanting to talk privately with Al-Ghannash. When they got out, the attacker ambushed them using a pump-action weapon, shooting at their faces and chests from close range, as indicated by the forensic examination of the bodies. Once they breathed their last, Al-Ghannash assisted Fayyad in transferring the bodies into one of the caves in the area, where they attempted to bury and conceal them by pouring concrete over them.
The perpetrator did not stop there; he headed to a nearby chalet, took a shower, and changed his clothes. He then used the youngest daughter Manal’s (16 years old) phone to send a WhatsApp message to her cousin to disguise their disappearance, writing: "We went out with Hussein to eat a sandwich in Nabatieh," and then turned off the phone and went into hiding.
### Ongoing Investigations
The motives behind this unprecedented tragedy remain unclear as investigations with the detainees continue. It is noteworthy that many rumors have surrounded this case, which became public just a few days ago, with speculation that the goal was organ trafficking, although the perpetrator is financially well-off and does not need to engage in any illegal trade.
Several criticisms have also been directed at the investigating judges who initially handled the case, particularly since the suspect was at large for weeks before being arrested just a few days ago.
