Lebanon mosque shooting leaves 1 dead
July 7, 2023
A man started shooting at worshipers as they made their way out of a mosque in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Friday, killing one and wounding at least five others.
The attack was followed by a gun exchange between the perpetrator and Lebanese troops, who injured him as a result. The man was later taken into custody.
The shooting took place in the eastern town of Bar Elias, which hosts many Syrian refugees.
What do we know about the shooting?
A video shared on social media purportedly from the time of the shooting showed worshippers taking shelter on the floor of a mosque, with the sound of gunshots in the background.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear. Local media cited residents in the area as saying the shooter had previously "exhibited strange behavior."
A security official initially said that the man killed and the five wounded were Syrians.
However, the military later said that all victims were Lebanese citizens.
The man who was shot dead was identified by local media as a school teacher.
Lebanon is home to over one million refugees from Syria who fled the civil war in their country, ongoing for 12 years. Anti-Syrian sentiment is rife among Lebanon's right-wing politicians and has been on the rise since the country's economic crisis peaked in 2019.
zc, rmt/jcg (AP, Reuters)