A citizen armed with a Kalashnikov-type rifle and carrying a military satchel filled with magazines fired into the air near the Jounieh traffic circle, waving partisan flags, deploying sandbags and broadcasting military chants. He threatened to shoot himself if the media did not come to cover a press conference where he was to talk about the country’s difficult economic situation. A patrol from the army’s intelligence directorate intervened and arrested him.
The president of the municipal council of Jounieh, Juan Hobeiche, told Sawt Lebnan that the citizen who fired into the air and terrorized the inhabitants of Jounieh was mentally unstable, and that he had been arrested for investigation.
The army issued the following statement: “On September 17, 2023, an army unit, supported by a patrol from the Intelligence Directorate, arrested the citizen (J.M.) in Jounieh for shooting in the air and terrorizing citizens. During the search, a Kalashnikov-type weapon of war, 16 grenades, a large quantity of ammunition and military equipment, as well as partisan flags, were found in his possession. All the equipment was seized by the army and an investigation was opened under the supervision of the competent judicial authority.”
