5 Brothers Arrested in al-Nabaa over Killings of Taxi Drivers

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said on Tuesday that five brothers were arrested in a raid on an apartment in al-Nabaa over the attacks on 11 people, mostly taxi drivers, in the past three months.

During a press conference, Charbel gave the details of the arrest that took place at 1:30 am and said the investigation into the killings was underway.

He earlier told LBCI TV network that only 2 of the 5 brothers are suspected of killing 9 people and injuring two others in the coastal north Metn area between the towns of Sin el-Fil and Nahr al-Mot.

The five brothers were identified as George, Aziz, Massis, Michel and Maurice Tanielian.

The minister unveiled that the Intelligence Branch was able to arrest the five men after undercover agents drove taxis in the areas where the crimes were taking place and in Kesrouan.

Last week, a member of the Intelligence Branch and two of the brothers wrangled in Kesrouan and the policeman was able to injure one of them and take his blood sample.

The sample was tested for DNA paving the way for the arrest. Another lead was when the suspects sought to sell the mobile phone of one of the victims, Corporal Ziad Hani Dib, the minister said.

Among the other victims are Albert al-Nashar, Hagop Yacoubian and Shaker Abdel Nour.

The killers marked their signatures by firing single shots at the head of the victims using a 7.85mm pistol and then throwing their bodies either on the side of the road or keeping them in their vehicles.

Their cars were later burned to remove all evidence.

MTV said the five brothers were trouble makers and were most often seen drunk in their neighborhood. The TV station quoted neighbors as saying that George Tanielian was jailed for five years for drug possession.

Al-Akhbar newspaper described the murders as the first serial killings in Lebanese history.

Comments 24
Default-user-icon Rabih Al Jaber (Guest) 15 November 2011, 13:36

Certainly not the first serial killings in lebanese history. I wonder why nahatnet hasent reported on these killings before or did i miss it? People are murdered in lebanon everyday without naharnet reporting it.

Default-user-icon Elie Khoury (Guest) 15 November 2011, 13:52

The murderers are armenian, not lebanese.

Default-user-icon Su3ad (Guest) 15 November 2011, 13:53

ya rabih if u read it , the story clearly states that al-akhbar reported it's the first serial killing incident in Lebanon... PLEASE READ WELL before commenting :)

Default-user-icon Sarah (Guest) 15 November 2011, 13:54

Definitely not the 1st serial killers in Lebanon..

Default-user-icon Sarah (Guest) 15 November 2011, 13:55

Definitely not the 1st serial killers in Lebanon..

Default-user-icon Rabih Al Jaber (Guest) 15 November 2011, 14:04

Su3ad, i dont understand your point? Im asking why this wasent in naharnet news before i.e the murders. Clearly it happened so it should have been reported regardless. And im commenting on that this isent the first serial killings in lebanese history. I didnt ask who was the first to report on this news. So perhaps you should read well before you ask others to do it.

Default-user-icon Dexter (Guest) 15 November 2011, 19:05

What's the big deal I admit it I'm a cereal killer, I kill cereals every morning, yesterday it was Corn Flakes, on Sunday it was Raisin Bran, before that I killed a bowl of Cheerios. Today like every Tuesday it's traditionaly Froot Loops a homage to General Aoun's and the other Froot Loops in his Change and Reform bloc.

Default-user-icon harout (Guest) 15 November 2011, 19:08

Su3ad
forgive rabih al jaber he's armenian

Default-user-icon Elie Haddad (Guest) 16 November 2011, 06:01

Serial killers from Syria got a Lebanese citizenship,and I'm a Civil Engineer born in Lebanon to a Lebanese Maronite Mother and a Roman Catholic
Palestinian Father who never ever broke the LAW.And I'm not Qualified to get
the Lebanese Citizenship.What a shame

Default-user-icon Bahout (Guest) 16 November 2011, 06:05

To Elie Khoury: the fact that they are Armenian doesn't mean that they are not Lebanese!!!

Default-user-icon Emily (Guest) 16 November 2011, 08:27

@ Elie Khoury, just a minor correction: they're not Lebanese, they are Syrian. Also among the victims, if you've read the article well, there's a Lebanese called Hagop Yacoubian.

Default-user-icon Avo 33 (Guest) 16 November 2011, 11:11

Dear Mr Elie Khoury,
What do U mean by "they are not Lebanese they are Armenians" ???
is it Racism against Armenians ? did U ever saw Armenians holding guns or weapons & creating problems to our Lovely highly respected MOTHERLAND <3 LEBANON <3 ? when people like you will talk like this how do U expect for a better future ? shame remove this kind rubbish opinions & ideas from Ur brains ! Over Shame to talk like that !!! even they are Armenians or either Lebanese this kind of people they must hang them in front of everyone to avoid this kind of awful Crimes !!! PROUD to Be >>>LEBANESE<<< & let me remind U & maybe few people like U as well >>>Lebanon is Our 2nd RELIGION<<< !!!

Default-user-icon Le Phenicien (Guest) 16 November 2011, 12:50

The serial murderer is Syrian Armenian unlike his brothers he never was naturalized and he is just another brave proud Syrian at that , he even has a massive picture of the magnificent President Hafez Assad and President Bashar Assad in the living room for all to see .

Default-user-icon Michel Zeghbi (Guest) 16 November 2011, 14:49

Emily, bahout and whoever else. They are ARMENIAN. So is their last name. Even if they had lebanese citizenship or not, who cares, its only a piece of paper. But if you consider them to be lebanese then stop taking pride in lebanese with foreign citizenship that have achieved something such as shakira, perhaps you consider her to be colombian?

To elie haddad, since your palestinian you have no right for the lebanese citizenship. Lebanon is not europe where we can hand out citizenship to everyone who comes here. Your mother may be lebanese but you arent as its the origin of your dad that determines your own origin. Go seek citizenship somewhere else instead of clinging on to our country. Lebanon is for the lebanese. Its a fragile country and naturalizing immigrants only makes it more fragile. Have some self respect would you.

Thumb thepatriot 16 November 2011, 15:27

@Woody
LOL
The guys are Syrian Armenian...
LF huh!?? LoooL

Default-user-icon paul max (Guest) 16 November 2011, 16:45

What about the serial murders that took place during the leb.civil war?(such as Sabt el Assouad ,the Fanar murders that preceded it etc..etc..

Default-user-icon neutral (Guest) 16 November 2011, 18:09

Just a reminder that the armenians are the ones who got rich during the war. they were selling arms to both sides and benzine. Also most of them belong to assad regime. they played double agents and even some of them were snipers shooting at both sides. they said to the moslems lebanese that they armenians and have nothing to do with the war . at the same time they played the same game with the christian lebanese. they will only take sides of who pays more. If they want lebanon they wouldnt ask for armenia all the time. so as far as i am concerned they are refugees like the palestinians.NOT TO BE TRUSTED.they both lost their land. We will not lose lebanon and we will never sell it. leave us alone go back to your countries no one is stopping you

Missing peace 16 November 2011, 19:22

michel zeghbi: how can you say that elie haddad is an immigrant when born and raised in lebanon from a lebanese mother?
why the mother cannot give citizenship? that only means that you consider the women of this country inferior to men!
is a lebanese mother less lebanese than a man because she is a woman and consequently cannot give her nationality?????

a child from a palestinian mother and a lebanese father in your eyes is not an immigrant then! he is more lebanese than the other way round????

come on! you should be the one with some self respect.....

Default-user-icon Michel Zeghbi (Guest) 16 November 2011, 20:00

Peace, this is the lebanese law and culture. Your origin comes from your father, not mother, why else take your fathers family name instead of your mothers? Does this mean you think women are inferior? Dont defend a palestinian over a lebanese. What the hell is wrong with you. If everyone were to think like you then tens of thousands of people who originate from ghana, sierra lone, nigeria, indonesia etc would be lebanese because they have lebanese mothers. And what about saudis, iranians, kuwaitis and a bunch of others who have lebanese mothers, are they lebanese all of a sudden? 1 million+ Lebanese women have married foreigners, their kids arent lebanese and cant be ever. Who the hell cares if he is born in lebanon or not, that doesnt make one lebanese, he is an immigrant because his family migrated here in recent history. Lebanon is for the lebanese, not refugees. But if you think one is lebanese for being born here then philipino, ethiopian etc will soon be our second language.

Default-user-icon Gaby Michaelian (Guest) 16 November 2011, 22:04

Dear Mr. Elie Khoury,

Before commenting trivial comments, I would suggest you revise Lebanese history. There are 18 religious sects that live in Lebanon where none is originally Lebanese. The origins of all the different sects come from different regions in the area, it is only the date of migration that changes. Armenians existed in Lebanon since 17th century, and everyone living in this region was called citizens of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years. If you look ay ant "Ikhraj Kaid", you will see at the middle top an arabic phrase stating "based on 1932 statistics", it is since that time that your and my grandfather took Lebanese citizenship.

On the other hand, we daily here on TV arrests of thieves, murdurers, rapists where hardly there is an Armenian. We do not run on the streets saying a maronite or a shiia or a sunni or a durzi killed or stole.

Please be more responsible in your comments for you are not a better Lebanese then me and I am not a second degree citizen.

Default-user-icon Poly (Guest) 16 November 2011, 22:07

Excuse me MR.NEUTRAL but take another look to the names of the criminals...we Armenians don't put names such as George, Aziz, , Michel and Maurice...:) just because you saw IAN at the end of the family name does not mean you can simply touch the Armenian's Reputation.Lebanon is our country,it is our homeland WE were born here...so sorry but you dont get to decide whether we should leave to our Mother Country or not...our job is to defend Lebanon the way we are defending Armenia with the best we can so :D Stay in your limits and know what youre talking because it's pure BULLSHIT !

Armenians have never been criminals.They never will be...unless it is for defending their rights.
Think wise and don't just post anything comes to your mouth :D

Default-user-icon Poly (Guest) 16 November 2011, 22:51

Excuse me MR.NEUTRAL but take another look to the names of the criminals...we Armenians don't put names such as George, Aziz, , Michel and Maurice...:) but that's not the point.just because you saw IAN at the end of the family name does not mean you can simply touch the Armenian's Reputation.Lebanon is our country,it is our homeland WE were born here...so sorry but you dont get to decide whether we should go to our Mother Country or not...our job is to defend Lebanon the way we are defending Armenia with the best we can so :D Stay in your limits and know what youre talking because it's pure BULLSHIT !

Armenians have never been criminals.They never will be...unless it is to defend their rights.
Think wise and don't just post anything comes to your mouth :D

Default-user-icon Shant (Guest) 16 November 2011, 23:15

Some of you people are pathetic really ! it's both funny and very shocking how some of you interpret history and make up stuff, for starters, Armenians never played a bad role in the Lebanese civil war and surely no one was an arms dealer we didn't have alot of arms and second how stupid will a person be to say such a thing :O Did any Lebanese party at that time need an Armenian arms dealer in the first place ?? ! and people, murder is something available and present in every religion, race , nation etc..but just for the record, they are not Armenian in any sense they never entered any Armenian club and were never members of any Armenian party..they are Lebanese forces supporters and they have a number of pictures proving that fact..

Default-user-icon Rima K. (Guest) 20 November 2011, 22:35

How sad it is to read these news, how sad it is to see lives taken away. But worst than the incidents that happened and lives were taken by these brothers is the way everyone is acting and reacting on this page. I am shocked that the owners of this page are not taking actions and not filtering what is being written. This is what happens when there is no RAQABI in the Media and in everything else as well in Lebanon.
You can not in anyway discriminate anyone in any manner regardless of what your beliefs are and how you interpret the whole situation. We expect others to respect us and accept us as very democratic and educated nation when in fact thats not what how we act.
It is a fact which all of you should accept and understand that yes ARMENIANS ARE LEBANESE and yes they are people to be proud of and yes are hard working people, people who had a huge role in building this country . It doesnt mean there arent individuals who are disgrace for their people, theres always a bad apple.