The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Public Relations Division, reported that on June 17, 2023, three unidentified individuals, including a girl, attempted to steal a white rented SUV Range Rover. The girl lured the driver from the Ramla al-Bayda area to the Karantina area where her accomplices were waiting. They then entered the vehicle with him and assaulted the driver with the butt of a firearm they possessed, with one of them firing shots at him. However, the driver managed to escape and contacted the owner of the rental company, informing him of the theft. The vehicle was subsequently tracked using the GPS system, and the thieves abandoned it and fled to an unknown location after stealing the driver’s two mobile phones.
As a result, the Information Branch was tasked with taking field and investigative measures to identify the individuals involved in the attempted car theft and apprehend them. The directorate announced that through extensive inquiries and investigations, they were able to identify the suspects: N. G. (born in 1981, Lebanese), M. G. (born in 1981, Lebanese), and H. H. (born in 1995, Syrian). The first two had previous records of theft, motorbike theft, drug possession, gun fire, threats, resisting law enforcement, possession of weapons and ammunition, violent acts, security suspicions, and knife stabbing, with the first having an outstanding search warrant for robbery.
Furthermore, on July 13 and 20, 2023, and after careful surveillance, patrols from the branch apprehended the first suspect in Dawhat Aramoun and the second in the Qobbeh area - Tripoli. During a search, a war pistol with a magazine and nine usable bullets were seized. The third suspect was arrested in the city of Choueifat.
During the investigation, they confessed to their involvement in the attempted robbery of the Range Rover in Karantina, revealing how the third suspect lured the driver and distracted him while the first and second assaulted him and fired at him. The first also admitted to committing several motorbike thefts in the northern region and stealing numerous batteries and vehicle contents after opening them with a special key in Mount Lebanon areas, including Barj Hamoudah, Nabaa, and San El-Fil. The firearm used in the attempted robbery was seized, and legal proceedings were initiated against them, with them and the confiscated items referred to the competent authority upon judicial order.
