The Lebanese Army Command announced on Saturday that the Syrian authorities had handed over to the Army's Cooperation and Coordination Office a Lebanese citizen named (A.N.), who is considered one of the main accomplices in the kidnapping and murder of the Lebanese Forces Party coordinator in Jbeil, Pascal Suleiman, which occurred in April 2024.
A statement issued by the Lebanese Army's Directorate of Orientation stated: "Following a series of contacts conducted by the Army's Cooperation and Coordination Office with the Syrian authorities, the office received the citizen (A.N.), one of the main accomplices in the kidnapping and murder of the citizen Pascal Suleiman, on April 7, 2024." The statement added that "the detainee was handed over to the Army's Intelligence Directorate to continue the security investigations related to the crime."
The Army indicated that the detainee (A.N.) leads a gang specializing in kidnapping, theft, and forgery, and that several arrest warrants have been issued against him.
Lebanese authorities have begun investigating him under the supervision of the competent judiciary.
The details of the case date back to April 7, 2024, when Pascal Suleiman was kidnapped by unknown gunmen while returning alone in his car from a funeral in the Jbeil region to his hometown of Mayfouk. His phone was later found in Mayfouk, and surveillance cameras showed his car heading towards the outskirts of Batroun in northern Lebanon, before it became clear that the kidnappers had changed vehicles and headed towards the Syrian border.
The Lebanese Army Intelligence Directorate had previously announced the arrest of most of the network members, both Lebanese and Syrian, involved in the kidnapping.
Initial investigations revealed that Suleiman was killed by his kidnappers while attempting to steal his car, and that they transported his body to Syria.
A day after his disappearance, the Lebanese Army confirmed Suleiman's death, stating in a statement that investigations had revealed the involvement of a "Syrian gang" in the crime, with the aim of stealing the car.
Meanwhile, some supporters of the Lebanese Forces party accused Hezbollah of being behind the operation, a charge the party denied at the time.
The extradition of the main suspect represents a significant development in the case, which has sparked political and security tension in Lebanon. The ongoing investigations are expected to reveal further details about the motives and circumstances of the crime.
Zaman Al-Wasl
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