The command of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) has reported a resurgence in kidnap-for-ransom operations involving Syrians.
An ISF statement issued Wednesday said the victims are generally individuals who want to travel to Europe.
“The ISF had in the past warned of kidnapping operations targeting Syrians residing on Lebanese territory. Gangs lure them out of the Lebanese borders to avoid being pursued and intercepted by the police after tricking them via fake accounts on social networks, notably through the TikTok application.”
“The kidnappers make their victims believe that they can help them travel to European countries, either illegally or by arranging passports for them. But once kidnapped, the victims are held in a facility not far from the Lebanese border, where they are tortured. A video and photos of the torture sessions are then sent to their families, along with the ransom demand for their release,” the statement said.
The ISF recalled that it had succeeded in dismantling these criminal gangs on several occasions and at different dates in the past, but that it had recently noted “a resurgence of these practices, despite repeated warnings against this type of scam.”
