Man Makes Up Story about Gunmen Severing His Fingers in Tariq al-Jedideh

The army's intelligence directorate has arrested a young man on charges of fabricating a story claiming that Islamist gunmen had chopped off his fingers with a sword during Sunday's unrest in the Beirut district of Tariq al-Jedideh.

Media outlets and social networking websites were buzzing with the story as Future television reported that “Ehab al-Ezzi is in the army's custody on charges of making up the story about his fingers being cut off.”

The TV network said the army “will issue a statement” clarifying the issue's circumstances and noting that the story is “made up and fabricated.”

OTV also said that “Ehab al-Ezzi was arrested by the army on charges of fabricating a story claiming that his hand fingers were cut off at the hands of alleged gunmen.”

In a report published Wednesday by An Nahar newspaper, Ezzi said a number of gunmen had chopped off the fingers of his left hand with a sword while chanting Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest).

He said the incident took place on Sunday near the Beirut Arab University in the mainly Sunni area of Tariq al-Jedideh.

But investigations showed that Ezzi had lost his fingers during a fight with a friend over the ownership of a motorcycle, LBCI television reported.

Ezzi sought to receive free of charge medical treatment after the health ministry instructed hospitals to treat those wounded in the clashes that followed the assassination of Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, LBCI said.

“They asked about my religious sect and I told them I'm Lebanese. But one of them, sporting a heavy, long beard, pulled from my neck a necklace with the sword of Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb on it, threw it on the ground and started stepping on it along with the other gunmen who were near him. After that, one of them who was wearing an Afghan outfit brandished a long sword and prepared to hit my head. At that moment I shouted, 'No! Not my head. Don't kill me!'” Ezzi told An Nahar.

Later on Wednesday, the newspaper said “it turns out that Ehab al-Ezzi was wounded in Beirut's southern suburbs, not in Tariq al-Jedideh,” promising readers that it will publish the full details of the incident on Thursday.

An Nahar also said that Ezzi was being interrogated by the army.