Mawlawi urges Lebanese to trust security agencies, says Lebanon can't bear strife

Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Tuesday called on the Lebanese “not to compare the murder of Pascal Sleiman” to other cases, while urging citizens to “preserve the country’s security” and show “wisdom and patience” pending the end of investigations.

“The investigations will unveil the crime’s motives and they are being carried out professionally and transparently,” Mawlawi reassured after an emergency meeting of the Central Internal Security Council.

Sleiman, the Lebanese Forces’ coordinator in the Jbeil region, was murdered Sunday by a Syrian car theft gang that stole his car in the Jbeil district, the Lebanese Army said. The body and the stolen car were taken into Syria after the murder and several members of the gang have so far been arrested.

“The country cannot bear troubles and strife and we call on the Lebanese to show reason and depend on the work of security agencies and the judiciary,” the minister added.

“We will not accept other than the full unveiling of the crime’s threads,” Mawlawi said, stressing that “Syrian presence in Lebanon should be scaled down.”

“We have emphasized to security forces the need to enforce Lebanese laws on the displaced Syrians,” Mawlawi went on to say.