Beirut, November 29, 2011
Three men who were arrested last week for allegedly robbing and vandalizing the Greek Orthodox archdiocese in Beirut will be handed over to Prosecution General Tuesday.
The Internal Security Forces said last week that the three men confessed to their crime in addition to several others that they had committed.
The suspects confessed to looting the archdiocese in addition to burglaries in several homes and stores in the Beirut and Mount Lebanon districts, according to the ISF.
A judicial source who was involved in the investigations told The Daily Star Monday that “the three men who were arrested are Lebanese and had no foreign accomplices.”
The judicial source also said that the investigation had uncovered no evidence to support earlier speculation that the thieves conspired with someone working at the diocese who was familiar with its operations and the location of valuables.
The source emphasized that “theft was the sole reason behind the looting – the robbing of the archdiocese had no political or sectarian motivation.”
In response to a question, the source said investigations had revealed that the archdiocese had no non-Lebanese in its employ.
The incident drew wide condemnation from the country’s political and religious leaders, including former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who called Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Audi last week to express their solidarity.
