The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Public Relations Division issued the following statement: Recently, there have been numerous armed robbery incidents in Beirut and Mount Lebanon areas by unknown individuals who patrol on motorcycles, target victims, brandish military weapons at them, and steal their motorcycles, cash, and mobile phones. These operations are sometimes accompanied by gunfire. Consequently, the specialized units of the Internal Security Forces intensified their efforts to identify those involved in these operations, especially after videos of them were circulated on social media documenting their armed robberies against citizens.
As a result of extensive investigations and inquiries, the Information Division was able to identify one of the most dangerous members of the mentioned gang, named K. K. A. (born in 1997, Lebanese), nicknamed "The Shatoub." He has a criminal record concerning: armed robbery, theft by force, and drugs, and he has /10/ judicial pursuits for crimes including armed robbery, theft, and drugs. He is considered a dangerous person and is armed continuously, residing in the Shatila refugee camp.
Accordingly, orders were given to develop a meticulous plan to raid his house and apprehend him as swiftly as possible. On 4-7-2024, after a careful observation and monitoring of his residence in the Shatila camp, and confirming his presence, the special force of the Information Division conducted a raid on his home, arrested him, and seized a hand grenade from him.
During the investigation, he confessed to leading an armed robbery gang that he carried out in conjunction with its members—operations are ongoing to arrest them—conducting hundreds of armed robberies of motorcycles and individuals in areas like Ashrafieh, Rouche, Ramlet Bou Day, Qasqas, Zaitouna Bay, Salim Salam, Hamra, Jnah Cola, Rahab, Dora, Tayounah, Airport Road, near the Kuwaiti embassy, the sports city, and Furn El Chebbak. This was done while patrolling the streets on motorcycles armed with a military pistol and a hand grenade. When they spotted their victims, they would brandish their weapons and rob them of their motorcycles and belongings, occasionally firing shots at them or into the air to terrorize them. He also stated that they would offload the stolen motorcycles in Shatila, the sports city, the south, and Bekaa after transporting them in passenger vans. In addition, he admitted to executing a robbery along with another person against passengers who boarded their van in Dora, stealing money from them.
Legal procedures were taken against him, and he was placed along with the seized items at the relevant authority based on judicial instructions. Arrest warrants have also been issued for the other gang members. Therefore, based on the instructions from the competent judiciary, the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces is circulating the photo of the arrested individual and asking those who fell victim to his actions and recognized him to head to the Information Branch of Mount Lebanon located in Jisr El-Basha, or to call the number: 513732-01, in preparation for taking the necessary legal actions.
