The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Public Relations Division issued the following statement: "On April 25, 2023, an unidentified deceased person was found in the Dahar al-Baydar area, showing signs of beating and torture, with hands bound in metal cuffs and feet tied with rope. A forensic examination of the body revealed that death was due to severe beating, torture, and stabbing with knives. Following this, the specialized units in the Information Branch began field and investigative procedures to uncover the circumstances of the crime. On April 27, 2023, a complaint was received by the aforementioned branch from the complainant: A. B. (born in 1982, Lebanese) stating that her nephew: H. A. N. (born in 1998, Syrian) was kidnapped on April 19, 2023, by unknown individuals who contacted the relatives of the victim, who are in Syria, demanding a ransom of $20,000.
As a result of the information gathering carried out by the specialized units of the branch, it was determined that the kidnapped individual was the owner of the body found in Dahar al-Baydar. The branch's specialized units were tasked with making every effort to uncover the identity of the perpetrators of the kidnapping and murder. Through intensive investigative and technical follow-up, the branch managed to identify the individuals involved, including Syrian nationals: Y. A. R. (born in 2002), A. R. S. H. (born in 1993), and M. K. (born in 1998).
Orders were given to the special force of the branch to proceed with their arrest during a synchronized operation to prevent any of them from escaping. On May 1, 2023, after precise surveillance, the special force successfully arrested them in a coordinated operation in the areas of Marja and Rouche. They kidnapped and tortured the victim to death for ransom, and the Information Branch uncovered the circumstances of the crime in a professional operation, arresting three involved individuals.
During the investigation, they confessed that they had planned, in collaboration with others, to execute the kidnapping and demand a ransom from the victim's family in exchange for his release. They stated that they carried out their operation on April 19, 2023, by luring him from the Harsh Tabit area, taking the victim to the Bourj camp, placing him inside a warehouse, and began torturing and beating him brutally, sending videos and pictures to his family, demanding a ransom of $20,000. When their demands were not met, they intensified the torture by striking him hard on the head and body using a war weapon and a wooden plank, extinguishing cigarettes on his body, stabbing him with knives, among other methods, which led to his death. They then placed the body in the trunk of a rented Toyota car and drove to Dahar al-Baydar, where they dumped it.
The rented Toyota car was seized near the Bourj camp. The necessary legal measures were taken against the detainees, and they were handed over along with the car to the appropriate authority based on judicial orders, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining perpetrators."
