Lebanese man surrenders after demanding his savings from bank at gunpoint

By Stephanie Rady

BEIRUT (AA) - An armed man in Al-Aziyah, southern Lebanon on Friday entered a bank and demanded at gunpoint the return of his savings deposits, according to local press reports.

"Citizen M.Q., accompanied by another person, entered a bank branch in Ghazieh, Sidon District demanding the return of his deposits," the official National News Agency said.

The man “deliberately threatened the employees with a military weapon and threatened to burn down the branch if he was not given his deposits," the agency added.

The gunman eventually surrendered to security forces who arrived at the scene, it said.

For its part, the Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed reported that the man was able to get $19,200 from his savings and hand it to a person waiting for him outside.

Lebanon has witnessed repeated incidents in the bank following their refusal to give clients their money in US dollars.

For more than two-and-a-half years, Lebanon's banks have imposed restrictions on depositors' money in foreign currency, especially the dollar, and set tight ceilings on withdrawing money in Lebanese pounds.

Lebanon has been grappling with a severe economic crisis since 2019, leaving most people locked out of their bank accounts.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat