A lot of kidnappings in Lebanon take place in the Bekaa – Source

To sum up the story below in two words: If you don’t speak Arabic, you can’t report a crime to the ‘112’ operators, and kidnappings are no longer a big deal in Lebanon.

Read the full story [Here]

At around 11pm on Friday night, I was texting while walking with a friend outside EDL in Mar Mikhail. I was immersed by the words of my message, but quickly snapped out of my trance when my buddy directed my attention to an incident in the middle of the road.

Four guys dressed all in black were in the process of throwing someone into the back seat of an old Mercedes with tinted windows. As they threw him, one of the four guys kicked the man into the car. According to my friend, one of the men was armed with a rifle, though I didn’t see it personally.

One man stepped into the car behind the forced person and shut the car’s door behind him, while the other 3 entered the car from the other doors and drove off. The car was followed by a smaller SUV (like a CRV).

My first response was to wave down a police car and explain the incident. Two members of the darak were in the car, one an officer, and neither took down notes when I explained the incident. When I gave them the license plate number, the driver (not the officer) pulled out his phone and typed in around 4 numbers (the license plate had 6 numbers) before putting his phone away. While they both looked slightly concerned, they simply nodded before driving off. I have no way of knowing if they followed up.

To be thorough, I called ‘112’ to report an emergency. I asked the operator if I could describe the incident to him in English but he responded by saying he only spoke Arabic. I did my best to describe the incident but the tone on the other end of the line inspired little hope that anything would be done.