Baalbek Detainee Confesses Being Member of Kidnapping Gang

Rabih Assem Awada who was arrested by the army confessed on Thursday that he contributed in many kidnapping operations, said the military in a statement.

“One of them was the kidnapping Kuwaiti citizen Issam al-Houti,” its said while adding that Awada was previously engaged in clashes with the army and the Internal Security Forces.

The army statement said that “after the investigations held by the army intelligence, we found that Awada, who was arrested on Monday in Baalbek's Sheikh Habib neighborhood, was charged with being a member of a kidnapping gang.”

"Awada also contributed in the gang's kidnapping operations such as kidnapping al-Houti, Ibrahim al-Atat, Khaled Ezzeddine and others,” it added.

It also stated that “he was also engaged in clashes with army and ISF patrols, and he was promoting, selling and possessing drugs.”

The state-owned National News Agency on Monday reported that “the army raided a gang consisted of four fugitives who were hiding at a house for the al-Aouta family in one of northern Baalbek's neighborhoods.”

"After clashes with the fugitives that left one soldier wounded in the leg, the army arrested them,” it added.

The fugitives are “R. Awada, two others from the Awada family and a fourth from al-Jammal family,” the NNA announced.