Beirut: Gunman robs pharmacy as crime rates rise

An investigation is underway after an attempted armed robbery at a pharmacy in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Wednesday, Saida Online reported.

CCTV footage shared on social media shows the thief breaking into the pharmacy and pointing his gun at an employee demanding he hand over all cash available. A member of the Lebanese army happened to be passing by when the event occured. He restrained the thief before confiscating his weapon.

According to Internal Security Forces (ISF), crime rates in Lebanon have been on the rise since the deadly explosion which rocked the capital on 4 August against the backdrop of the country’s worst economic and financial crisis since the civil war.

In the first half of 2020 alone, the ISF recorded 863 thefts and robberies compared to 650 in 2019, as reported by Beirut Today.

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