The Lebanese army announced on Monday the killing of Pascal Sleiman, the Lebanese Forces coordinator in Jbeil who was kidnapped on Sunday.
He was killed by his abductors as they were trying to steal his car in the Jbeil region north of Beirut, said the army. His corpse has been taken to Syria.
The Army Command said military intelligence succeeded in arresting the majority of the members of the Syrian gang that took part in the kidnapping. They confessed to Sleiman’s murder.
The army is coordinating with Syrian authorities to return Sleiman’s body to Lebanon while investigations by the general prosecution will continue, it added.
The abduction and killing sparked political and popular tensions in Lebanon, especially in the Jbeil region. Angry protesters blocked the main highway between Beirut and the North over the incident.
Sleiman was abducted by gunmen in Jbeil as he was driving alone to his home on Sunday.
Lebanese Forces supporters were enraged by the kidnapping, demanding his release and threatening to take further steps. LF leader Samir Geagea had urged them to show restraint.
The Kataeb party and Free Patriotic Movement expressed their solidarity with the LF, protesters and Sleiman’s family.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati had called on the concerned agencies to uncover the circumstances of Sleiman’s kidnapping and to bring him home safe.
Soon after, the army managed to arrest the suspects, but Sleiman was dead.
Mikati urged calm in wake of the killing, warning against “falling for rumors and acting hastily.”
The LF issued a statement to condemn the killing. It expressed its sorrow and anger, calling on the security and judicial agencies to thoroughly investigate the crime “to reveal the real motives.”
It said it will deem the murder a “political assassination until proven otherwise.”
It expressed its appreciation for the solidarity shown by political parties and the people of Jbeil and other parts of the country.
It urged a heavy turnout to Sleiman’s funeral “where people can express their opposition to abductions and killings and to keeping Lebanon an open arena for lawlessness and chaos.”
The LF said it will announce more measures at a later date.
It offered its condolences to Sleiman’s family, pledging that “his blood won’t go to waste,” stressing: “The blood of our martyrs has kept Lebanon an arena of freedom and dignity.”
“We will forge ahead in defending the cause that Sleiman believed in. The assassination will not intimidate, terrorize or deter us from continuing our mission to establish an actual state where people can feel safe and secure,” it declared.
“The killing of Sleiman is tantamount to the killing of every citizen who is calling for freedom and wants to live in peace with their family and is planning a future,” it went on to say.
“We will not allow them to push the Lebanese people to despair and turn to immigration. We have been through tougher times, and we will continue to fight for the values we believe in. Victory will always side with the people who believe in life and justice,” it stated.
