The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Public Relations Division issued a statement today, Thursday, stating: "As a result of the follow-up carried out by various branches of the Internal Security Forces in the context of uncovering various types of crimes, information became available to the Information Division about the activity of an armed gang whose members impersonate security personnel and carry out burglaries in the homes of citizens and foreign workers, robbing them of their money and belongings after restraining them and assaulting them physically, sometimes using gunfire against them. This gang has spread terror among citizens in many areas within the Beirut and Mount Lebanon governorates.
Following extensive investigations and inquiries, one of the patrols from the division managed to identify the gang members and pursued them, arresting several of them, including the most dangerous, the mastermind of the gang, known as: B. H. (born 1977, Palestinian), who was previously arrested by the Information Division on 22-05-2020 after leading a gang that committed numerous armed robbery operations, stealing safes from restaurants and commercial stores in Jounieh, Zouk Mikayel, and Zouk Mosbeh, and firing shots at citizens. However, he managed to escape from the detention center in Jbeil on 14-09-2020, continuing his criminal activity, reorganizing his gang, and executing highly professional operations, carrying out armed robberies against peaceable residents in areas such as: Khaldeh, Naameh, Damour, Msharref, Jadra, Barja, Ramlieh, Al-Abadiyeh, Hazmieh, Ashrafieh, downtown Beirut, Corniche El-Nahr, Tellet El-Khayat, Dora, Jounieh, Antelias, Zouk Mosbeh, robbing them of their money and valuables, including jewelry and precious items. They also conducted car thefts at night, using the stolen vehicles for robbery and impersonating security personnel."
A new achievement for the Information Division in arresting the most dangerous armed robbery gangs after a confrontation with them, during which the mastermind was killed and the remaining members were arrested. Who were their victims?
Among the most dangerous of these operations were: "On 12-11-2020, they entered a citizen's house in Khaldeh impersonating security personnel, held the homeowner hostage, and robbed him of his money. On 13-11-2020, they entered a citizen's house in Ramlieh impersonating security personnel, held the owner hostage, and robbed him of his money and a quantity of jewelry. On 07-12-2020, they entered a citizen's house in Damour impersonating security personnel and robbed him of his money. On 19-01-2021, they entered a citizen's house in Saadiyat and robbed him of cash and jewelry. On 23-01-2021, they broke into a Lebanese woman's house in Saadiyat and stole $48,000 and 317,000,000 LBP along with jewelry valued at $80,000. On the same day, in Jiyeh, they stole $48,000 and 317,000,000 LBP and jewelry worth $80,000 from another home. On 04-03-2022, in the area of Tellet El-Khayat, they executed an armed robbery at the house of a Lebanese doctor, stealing $400,000, €40,000, and gold jewelry valued at around $5,000. On 27-11-2022, in Zouk Mikayel, they entered a Lebanese citizen's home, held him, his wife, daughter, and granddaughter hostage, and stole gold and diamonds worth around $75,000, along with 25,000,000 LBP. On 14-04-2023, they robbed the Asmahan Palace in the Al-Abadiyeh area impersonating security personnel, stealing money and jewelry worth $100,000. On the same date, they executed an armed robbery at a company in the Dora area, stealing money. On 26-07-2023, they entered a citizen's house in Rabieh, bound the family members residing there, and assaulted them in their sleep in an attempt to rob them before fleeing after one of the family members managed to escape and call for help to the neighbors."
Through extensive ongoing monitoring, the Information Division had previously arrested several members of this gang, which had used the Shatila camp as a refuge, utilizing rented cars for their operations or stealing vehicles from citizens to use them in their crimes, placing forged plates on them. Through gathering information and interrogating some of these previously arrested individuals, it was revealed to the specialized branches of the division that the most dangerous members of this gang are: B. H. mentioned above, with a criminal record for theft and armed robbery, firing shots, resisting law enforcement, and possession of weapons and ammunition, who was wanted under 19 judicial summons for the aforementioned crimes. A. H. (born 1983, Palestinian), who was wanted under 29 judicial summons.
They are both considered dangerous wanted individuals, continuously armed, living permanently in the Shatila camp, only emerging to carry out armed robbery operations. Consequently, the special force assigned to the division was tasked with conducting careful surveillance of the entrances and exits of the Shatila camp, especially at times when their exit along with other gang members was anticipated, and to execute a closure operation to arrest them outside the said camp.
On 09-09-2023, after several months of careful monitoring, they were seen emerging from the camp in a Toyota RAV4 vehicle, which had a forged license plate. They were followed until the Jandoulin roundabout, where the special force closed in on them. The first suspect opened fire on the force, prompting them to return fire, hitting the shooter who later succumbed to his injuries, while the second suspect, along with two others: W. K. (born 1972, Lebanese) and M. D. (born 1964, Syrian), both with prior criminal records related to robbery and theft, were arrested. The vehicle was seized along with an "AK-47" rifle found in their possession, as well as tools used in robbery and theft.
During the investigation, A. H. admitted to committing numerous armed robbery operations, impersonating security personnel targeting Lebanese citizens' homes across many areas in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, in collaboration with B. H. who died during the shootout with the force, along with the third and fourth individuals arrested with them, in addition to one A. A. (born 2004, Lebanese) who was also arrested on the same date.
Further interrogations of the other detainees revealed their confessions regarding the charges against them. Based on the instructions of the relevant judiciary, the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces circulated the photographs of the detainees and requested that those who fell victim to their criminal actions and recognize them come to the Information Division's headquarters located in the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Ashrafieh, or contact the hotline 1788 to take the necessary legal measures."
