The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Public Relations Division clarified the circumstances surrounding the shooting incident at the U.S. Embassy in Aoukar. On the night of September 20, 2023, an unidentified individual opened fire on the U.S. Embassy building and fled to an unknown location. Immediately, following the directives of the General Director of Internal Security Forces, Major General Imad Osman, the Information Division of the Internal Security Forces began inquiry, technical, and procedural measures to uncover the details of this serious incident. A task force was formed comprising all relevant units.
As a result of the exceptional efforts undertaken by the division over five continuous days, they managed to identify and apprehend the perpetrator on September 25, 2023, in a swift operation in the southern suburb of Beirut - Kefaayat area. The suspect was identified as M. M. Kh. (born in 1997, Lebanese). His motorcycle, a delivery bag from one of the delivery companies, and the Kalashnikov rifle used in the shooting were seized.
The general directorate indicated that during interrogation, he confessed to firing rounds at the wall of the U.S. Embassy building in Aoukar on the night of September 20, 2023, and stated that his actions were a reaction to an incident that occurred about two months prior in front of the U.S. Embassy while he was delivering food orders as a driver for a delivery company. Upon his arrival at the embassy's entrance, he was insulted by one of the security personnel, after which he delivered the order and left, deciding to take revenge for this insult.
For this purpose, while continuing his work of delivering orders to Aoukar, he monitored and scouted an internal road that would allow him to reach the embassy building without passing the security checkpoint. On September 20, 2023, around 10:00 PM, he brought a Kalashnikov rifle from his home, which contained a magazine with 30 bullets. He hid it inside a designated cover and placed it in a fabric bag intended for transporting food orders on his motorcycle. He put a fabric cap on his head and headed directly to Aoukar alone, took the internal road that allowed him to avoid the security checkpoint, parked his motorcycle in front of a nearby residential building, and walked towards the main entrance of the embassy with the Kalashnikov rifle concealed in its cover. He quickly withdrew the rifle and fired several shots at the embassy wall before fleeing towards his home.
He also confessed that in 2021, while in Poland seeking asylum, he had an altercation with one of the Polish officers and struck him after being insulted, leading to his deportation back to Lebanon. Upon his return, he requested a new passport from the General Directorate of General Security, but due to their refusal as he claimed, he fired shots at the General Directorate of General Security building in Adlieh three times on November 5, 2022, November 28, 2022, and December 9, 2022.
The directorate announced that they obtained all data related to his work from the company he worked for, and upon review, it was found that on July 19, 2023, he was tasked with delivering an order from a restaurant in Jal el-Dib to the entrance of the U.S. Embassy at 10:41 PM, which matched his statements.
The comparison conducted on the seized weapon with the cartridges found around the U.S. Embassy building and the cartridges seized in the incidents of gunfire at the General Directorate of General Security indicated matching results. The necessary legal actions were taken, and he was referred along with the seized items to the competent authority based on judicial instructions.
