Kidnapped, Filmed in an Indecent Manner, and Extorted!

The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Public Relations Division issued the following statement: "On November 12, 2022, a citizen reported to the Merjeyah police station in the Regional Gendarmerie Unit that he had been kidnapped by a man named - A. J. (born in 1994, Lebanese), who took indecent photographs of him and threatened to publish them. It was reported that (A. J.) sent the photos to his brother, blackmailing him and demanding a sum of money for their deletion from his device and not publishing them. He then left the victim but kept his phone to communicate with his brother to obtain the money. Consequently, a force from the police station lured the perpetrator to the neighborhood of Hayy al-Salum, where an ambush was set, successfully detaining him despite him firing a shotgun at the officers, injuring a passerby in the leg. During the interrogation, the detained individual confessed to the allegations against him and admitted to having previously carried out similar operations, as well as using drugs. It was also revealed that he was wanted by the judiciary under an arrest warrant for theft and has a criminal record for crimes including theft, robbery, and gunfire. The arrested person, along with the seized weapon, has been referred to the relevant judiciary based on their directives."