The General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement:
"On 23-03-2026, a lawyer reported that one M. Sh. (born in 1996, Syrian national) had been kidnapped by unknown individuals in the Jdeideh area while he was inside a rented Range Rover SUV.
Following a field inspection carried out by the Information Branch in the aforementioned area, two spent shell casings were found, one from a Kalashnikov rifle and the other from a military pistol, in addition to a large pool of blood, leading branch investigators to suspect that a murder had taken place.
Through follow-up investigations, the rented vehicle was located, and a mobile phone was found inside during a search.
The branch’s specialized units immediately began field and intelligence measures to uncover the circumstances of the incident.
As a result of intensive follow-up, the identity of one of the suspects was established: M. M. (born in 1991, Lebanese).
On 28-03-2026, following a precise surveillance and monitoring operation, one of the Information Branch patrols succeeded in arresting him in the Zaarour area. A search of his home led to the seizure of a large quantity of drugs and military weapons.
During interrogation, he confessed to drug trafficking and to knowing M. Sh., noting that a dispute had arisen between them at dawn on 23-03-2026 near his home over drug-related matters. He stated that while he was at the scene, the victim pursued him to the building’s parking area accompanied by two other individuals in an FJ four-wheel-drive vehicle, where he brandished a military pistol at him and fired in his direction without hitting him. The detainee then opened fire with a Kalashnikov rifle in his possession, striking M. Sh. and causing him to fall to the ground, while his two companions fled. He added that he tried to assist him, but realized that he had died, so he placed the body in his car and transported it to the town of Kfar Aqab, where he burned it in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Investigators conducted a reenactment at the site where the body was burned in the Kfar Aqab area, and samples were collected for the necessary laboratory tests. A search of the detainee’s home in the same town also resulted in the seizure of an additional quantity of drugs.
The necessary legal measures were taken against the detainee, who, along with the seized items, was referred to the competent authority based on the instructions of the relevant judiciary. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining individuals involved."
