10 Arrested, 18 Stolen Cars Seized on 1st Day of Bekaa Security Plan

A much-anticipated security plan for the Bekaa Valley kicked off at dawn Thursday, resulting in the arrest of 10 fugitives and the confiscation of 18 stolen cars.

Media reports said a joint force from the Internal Security Forces' special panthers unit and the Lebanese army cordoned off the towns of Hawr Taala and Brital at 4:00 am.

Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) reported that the suspects had fled the town despite the snow.

Later during the day, the National News Agency reported that the security forces were able to arrest two wanted men in the said towns and were taken to a military barracks.

In the evening, the army announced in a statement that the plan involved “raids, fixed and random checkpoints, and patrols in all the villages and towns of the region.”

The army's measures “resulted in the arrest of 10 fugitives wanted on multiple warrants and the confiscation of 18 stolen cars,” the statement added.

The plan, which will be implemented over the course of “several days,” is aimed at “consolidating security and stability in the Bekaa region, combating organized crime and pursuing suspects and fugitives,” the army said.

Meanwhile, OTV reported that a man described as a “hefty catch” was arrested two days before the security plan in the Bekaa on charges of “transporting money to the (jihadist) militants in Arsal's outskirts.”

Speaker Nabih Berri has recently warned offenders in the Bekaa Valley that they will eventually have no choice but to hand themselves over to security forces, flee the country or face death ahead of the implementation of the security plan.

“The Bekaa will not remain a safe haven for fugitives,” Berri was quoted as saying.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced recently that the Central Security Council discussed the measures that will be implemented in the Bekaa to maintain stability.

The plan seeks to clamp down on criminals in the Bekaa where certain areas, such as the town of Brital, are known to be a safe haven for car-theft gangs and drug dealers, as well as networks that kidnap people in return for ransom.

The army had launched a crackdown on suspects and fugitives in the northern city of Tripoli and several other areas in an attempt to halt security chaos across the country.

H.K./Y.R.