The first investigating judge in the north, Smarinda Nassar, issued her preliminary ruling in the case of the kidnapping and intentional murder of Sheikh Ahmad Shuaib Al-Rifai, crimes stipulated in Articles 549, 569, and 733 of the Penal Code, and Article 72 of the Weapons and Ammunition Law. All accused are Lebanese, namely: Yahya Abdul Karim Al-Rifai, Ali Yahya Al-Rifai, Yahya Muhammad Al-Rifai, Abdul Karim Muhammad Al-Rifai, and Ahmad Muhammad Al-Rifai, who are all in custody and remain so, in addition to Mustafa Ghazi Mikati and anyone else who may emerge from the investigation.
In the facts outlined, it became apparent that on 21/02/2023, Abdul Qader Shuaib Al-Rifai reported at the Barqayel police station that his brother Sheikh Ahmad Shuaib Al-Rifai left his home in the town of al-Qarqaf in Akkar towards Tripoli on the afternoon of 20/02/2023, and he had not returned, and all communication with him had ceased. Following up on the case, the Information Branch located his Honda car parked in Ras Masqa, near the "Hekel" Hospital.
Initial investigations revealed that Ali Al-Rifai, son of the mayor of al-Qarqaf, Sheikh Yahya Al-Rifai, harbored his father's hatred towards his political rival, Sheikh Ahmad Shuaib Al-Rifai, and became involved in their chronic disputes, some of which reached the courts. Both father and son conspired to lure Sheikh Ahmad into executing their criminal plan against him; two months prior to executing the mission, Ali purchased two cell phones known as "dual lines".
After a month of purchasing the lines, Ali began communicating with Sheikh Ahmad, deceiving him by pretending to be a girl with problems and conflicts who needed help. Ali informed his father of the plan to trap the victim, which his father approved. Ali continued to communicate with Sheikh Ahmad, setting up a meeting near the Arab University in Tripoli. Prior to this meeting, he, alongside his cousin Ahmad Muhammad Al-Rifai, prepared a pit approximately 3 meters deep in a waste dump in "Saddeh Al-Bared".
On Friday, 17/02/2023, Ali, in the presence of his father, the mayor, and his cousins Ahmad, Yahya, and Abdul Karim, agreed to execute the operation of kidnapping and killing Sheikh Ahmad and disposing of his body in the prepared pit. It was confirmed that Ali and his cousins expressed full readiness to carry out the operation on Sunday, 19/02/2023.
On that date, all accused donned military camouflage clothing and began their criminal plan. It was revealed that the victim attended the scheduled meeting in his car, and the group executed their kidnapping plan by blocking his path, dragging him from his vehicle, and striking him in the head with rifles. He was placed in the trunk of a black Kia driven by Sheikh Yahya. Subsequently, it was confirmed that Ali shot Sheikh Ahmad in the "exhibition" area, firing two bullets from a military pistol, one in his chest and the other in his head inside the car trunk, after which they buried the body in the pit located in the waste dump.
Based on the presented evidence, Judge Nassar deemed that the actions of the accused: Yahya Abdul Karim Al-Rifai, Ali Yahya Al-Rifai, Yahya Muhammad Al-Rifai, Abdul Karim Muhammad Al-Rifai, and Ahmad Muhammad Al-Rifai constituted felonies under Articles 549 and 569 of the Penal Code, and charged them with a misdemeanor under Article 72 of the Weapons Law, mandating their trial before the Criminal Court in the north, treating the misdemeanors in conjunction with the felonies due to their interrelation.
Furthermore, the judge decided to dismiss the prosecution against Mustafa Ghazi Mikati for the felonies under Articles 549 and 569 of the Penal Code and the misdemeanor under Article 72 concerning weapons due to insufficient evidence.
