Bassem Sheikh Hussein, the armed depositor who held clients and employees hostage in Hamra’s Federal Bank of Lebanon, has released the hostages after agreeing to a partial payment of $35,000 from his own deposit.
Sheikh Hussein entered the bank before noon on Thursday where he was armed and carrying a canister of gasoline, demanding the bank give him back his $209,000 deposit.
His father is reportedly in hospital and in need of $50,000 worth of treatment.
The hostage situation lasted for over six hours. Initially, Sheikh Hussein was offered $10,000, which he rejected. He was then offered $30,000, which he also rejected, but later accepted the $35,000 and released the hostages.
He walked out of the bank escorted by security officers.