On Thursday morning, a Lebanese soldier was killed in an attempted kidnapping in the village of Ferzol in the Zahle District.
Conflicting information makes it difficult to put together what exactly ensued during the events of the kidnapping.
In a tweet, the Lebanese Army announced that it had thwarted an attempt to kidnap three people and stopped two kidnappers in the Ferzol region.
However, the statement did not address the Lebanese soldier who was killed in the process.
A tweet posted later confirms that the Lebanese Army Command issued an earlier statement which detailed that two people attempted to kidnap a Lebanese soldier who was wearing civilian clothing as soon as he left a money exchange office.
According to the army, there was an exchange of fire between the kidnappers and the soldier, which resulted in the death of the soldier and injury to the kidnappers.
Both kidnappers were arrested and transferred to a hospital where one of them succumbed to his injuries. There is no mention of the other two kidnapped people.
Varying sources, such as Annahar, report that three men, including the soldier, were actually lured by the kidnappers to exchange dollars.
The kidnappers arrived in a Kia Picanto, and the three men arrived in a silver Jeep. The three were held at gunpoint and forced into the Jeep, where they became the victims of kidnap.
It wasn’t long until one of the kidnapped people took control of the steering wheel and swerved the car onto the other side of the highway until it hit a parked car.
Meanwhile, inside the vehicle, a gunfight was taking place, which resulted in the death of the soldier and injury to both kidnappers.
Trigger warning!
.
.
.
There’s also a report that the kidnappers were allegedly accompanied by accomplices who fled the scene in the Picanto after the kidnapping attempt went wrong.
You can even hear the investigators in the video below point out the Kia Picanto which was allegedly working alongside the kidnappers.
Our team works tirelessly to ensure Lebanese people have a reliable alternative to the politically-backed media outlets with their heavily-funded and dangerous propaganda machines. We've been detained, faced nonstop cyber attacks, censorship, attempted kidnapping, physical intimidation, and frivolous lawsuits draining our resources. Financial support from our readers keeps us fighting on your behalf. If you are financially able, please consider supporting The961's work. Support The961. Make a contribution now.