Officer Attacked in Southern Suburbs
A group of armed men assaulted a police officer, confiscating his weapons and showering his vehicle with bullets in Beirut”s southern suburbs on Sunday.
The state-run National News Agency said five armed men surrounded First Lieutenant Tarek al-Zein as he left the home of some relatives near the Rassoul al-Azam Mosque at 4:30 p.m.
It said the group forced Zein, head of Tyre”s traffic operational command unit, and his driver to surrender their arms and jeep. Their cell phones were also confiscated, NNA said.
Two hours later, the jeep and stolen items were returned to their owners.
NNA said the incident occurred an hour after police attempted to put an end to a building violation in Sfier in the southern suburbs only to be surrounded by a group of 30 armed men.
It said another patrol was swiftly dispatched to provide backup to the officers and make sure law is implemented.
An investigation has been opened into the incident.