BEIRUT, May 21 (NNN-NNA) – The Lebanese army announced the arrest of three individuals yesterday, in the eastern town of Younine in the Baalbeck region, for suspected involvement in celebratory gunfire that killed a civilian, following local municipal elections.
An army unit detained three citizen suspects, at their homes in Younine, the army said in a statement.
The arrests come amid a broader crackdown on celebratory gunfire in Lebanon. Last Friday, the army reported detaining 86 individuals, accused of firing weapons into the air after the announcement of municipal election results, in Mount Lebanon and Northern Lebanon on May 4 and 11.
To deter further incidents, authorities suspended all firearm permits in the governorates of Beirut, the Bekaa, and Baalbeck-Hermel, starting Saturday, covering the day before and two days after the election on Sunday.
Although illegal, celebratory gunfire remains widespread in Lebanon. According to Beirut-based research centre, Information International, stray bullets claimed an average of seven lives and injured 15 annually, between 2010 and 2021.– NNN-NNA
